How often has it occurred that you go to a store or supermarket looking for a certain brand of product but see every other brand but the one you want? I have experienced this enough number of times to warrant a suspicion that it is no coincidence (or another cruel derivative of Murphy’s Law), but rather an insidious plot hatched by marketers and retailers (now wasn’t that a revelation).
Let’s examine the facts. Generally, larger the store, greater the number and variety of items stocked. However, the latter never translates to all brands. I understand that for small and medium sized stores and supermarkets, this is simple economics as it is not viable to keep all brands of products; but when it comes to large supermarkets and hypermarkets, there is certainly an expectation that most, if not all, brands will be available. Sadly, this hope falls flat on its face. Nowadays, what one finds increasingly are in-house products, also known as store brands. This is a common practice followed by large retailers globally. Whether or not these products are superior to well-known brands is beside the point. That decision needs to be left to the consumer; by not stocking other brands retailers are depriving the consumers of choice. Of course, retailers will rebut this by saying they have their interests to look after; after all, they’re here for the profit, not to cater to the whims and fancies of idealistic consumers. Some adopt a compromise by offering normal and premium brands of in-house products, a win-win situation – the retailers still get their margins, while the consumers also have ‘choice’.
Certain brands simply disappear off the shelves after a period of time, just when you have become comfortable using them. The common answer to a query on their unavailability is simply that they are ‘out of stock’. This afflicts different stores at different points in time, so if you insist on sticking steadfastly to your favourite brand, you may need to visit several stores, testing your limits of exasperation. Often, we succumb to the pressure of time and effort and settle for an equivalent brand, either on the advice on an astute salesperson or by looking at special offer displays at supermarkets. Whether this is due to flaws in the distribution system or because of some agreement between marketers and retailers (an idea born out of mental conditioning to the many recent scam revelations) is unknown; what is definite is that brand loyalty takes on a completely new meaning.
Another trend is the disconnect between advertisements and product availability. On viewing an interesting advertisement, there is an excitement to purchase the product immediately. Unfortunately, new products find their way into stores quite slowly, with shopkeepers and staff completely unaware of the products itself. This time lag is frustrating for consumers, and can push them into buying other brands (which is bad news for marketers).
In an age where sustainability has become the buzzword, it does seem a bit out of place talking about consumerism. Market dynamics have led to greater choices than ever before, leaving us in a quandary – do we fight for consumer rights, or for sustainability? It is highly unlikely that the economic policies that led to massive industrialization could be rolled back in a trice; therefore the challenge is to ensure that manufacturing processes are efficient and less wasteful. In this way, we need not sacrifice one principle for the other. Meanwhile, retailers cannot escape – they have to stock all brands either way!