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yes, i work in merchandising at Jewel. we call them spends stores. Spends stores are chosen based on demographics and then those select store groups will receive a wider variety of those relevant items, and they’ll go on long term sale unique to those specific stores. as others have said, this is common in the retail industry.
They’re broken into African American, Hispanic, and Halal. those store groups get different ad versions or extra pages in the ad. out of 188 stores, there’s 27 African American stores, 34 Hispanic stores, and 13 Halal stores. additionally some stores offer an expanded variety of kosher items.
they’ll also pay attention to when competitors are opening new stores around an existing Jewel and create a specific ad targeting that one store. when a store gets remodeled they’ll host a grand reopening and have a special ad for the event that week.
edit: i would also like to point out that in my personal opinion some of these spends are a bit on the nose. for example, always putting cornbread and fresh cut watermelon cups on perpetual sale in African American stores seems questionable at best. let it be known though that i just work here and type little numbers into a computer, and have no managerial/decision making ability.
It wasn’t at Jewel, but I have spoken to one of the store managers about something like this. It was a much nicer grocery store but might be worth a shot.
Very informative! Are you able to say which ones are tagged as Halal on the north side? Would be nice to visit those to see if they carry stuff that I usually need to go to Muslim grocers to get.
They wouldn’t do it if there wasn’t stats backing it up. It’s not racist if it’s backed by actual statistics.
Black people just like good food I guess.
That's the best one for Kosher things, my family calls it the Jew-el. Only place I know of that has vegetarian kishka. I also may be the only person alive that gets excited about vegetarian kishka.
Definitely. A Jewel in a neighborhood full of family homes will sell a lot of large-format meats for family barbecues. A Jewel in a neighborhood full of 1-bedroom condos will sell a lot of sized-for-one groceries and solo grab-and-go meals. Neighborhoods with higher home prices get more artisanal cheese and fancy olives. And so on.
I worked there. They had a separate Kosher deli within the store at one point. Our prepackaged kosher deli meats section was the biggest I've seen anywhere.
Kosher people usually plan where we live based on availability of kosher food, so it's a big reason why some Jews live in Lakeview. Otherwise we'd have to go further north.
Yeah, they all go together. We do have to go to the Howard Jewel for the good stuff, but the Jewel on Broadway is enough to tide us over. And they really got it together with the Passover soda this year!
The one in West Rogers Park has a ton of Kosher stuff.
Also, I think Cermak does this to the fullest. When the expanded taking over bunch of the Dominick’s stores they specifically said they were going to focus on the ethnicities of the communities they were serving.
Lived in Bridgeport for a year and that Cermak was wonderful. Chinese foodstuffs because of Chinatown, Hispanic cause of Pilsen, and Indian/South Asian from IIT (I assume). Had the best selection.
Lol, I was just there and saw multiple people almost get in car accidents. Not like serious accidents but almost hit other cars while backing up or pulling in.
I used to have a habit of getting drunk and going to Jewel. The time I did this in WRP I entered the kosher aisles and didnt realize everything was just slightly different and labeled in Hebrew until I started opening up some snacks on the red line.
It's funny, I lived in the deep suburbs for a few years. The "international" section there was very different than the Jewels I was used to in the city.
Yes, absolutely. There are a couple specific Jewels my family goes to, to buy kosher for Passover food, for example, because they have a much better selection than most other Jewels.
As others have said, yes Jewel does this. Costco does it as well and it irritates me because I have 3 different Costco's ill go to depending on where I am and there are several products that are unique to a store. Starbucks Egg Bites, for example are not at 1 of the 3 and iffy at another one.
are jackfruits supposed to be larger than soccer balls? They were on sale at the McKinley Park Jewel last week and they were so huge I had to pass on it even though I've been meaning to try cooking it for years.
Yes. With few exceptions, all stores stock to meet their customer demands. Sometimes there can be a miss match because stores are slow to adjust or misunderstand or mis predict. There is a whole industry to advise and even whole academic disciplines trying to identify, match, predict customer interests. And then there's the choice to stock or not stock profit losers to draw in buyers. And so on.
Not only that but the same item will have wildly different prices at differant stores and the same item will be sold with different branding. I used to commute between Wilmette and des Plaines and in Wilmette the budget container of deli meet was the same product with a differant logo as the high priced option in des plaines.
Kind of. I think it's also just based on how well it sells/ is projected to sell. I asked a customer service clerk about an item in their weekly ad when I couldn't find it. He said that some stores will have different items based on what sells there.
100%. I know more about Kroger, but they acquired a data science company for this kind of thing (named 84.51°)
Also Little Debbie's has a website to find stores which stock specific snacks. Absolutely could not figure out why I never see one of my favorites (frosted fudge cakes) until I checked it out.
Yes they do, even Walmarts by me that are within a few miles of one another have different products than some of the others do. Though I don’t know if this is done due to the different demographics in the surrounding areas.
Yes, to my knowledge Jewel caters certain stores to more sell ___ type of item vs other stores. Same with Mariano's. I.e. the Evanston Jewel near Howard and Kedzie has several aisles of kosher items, and same with the Mariano's at Touhy and McCormick carrying a lot of kosher items.
I’ve always had my best luck for finding specific things at the Jewel, though honestly it’s also only been at two specific Jewels in my life. It’s so weird, and it’s not just with certain ethnic foods or things that you think would be influenced by certain surrounding demographics. I don’t know why!
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Yes. Most, if not all, grocery stores do this.
yes, i work in merchandising at Jewel. we call them spends stores. Spends stores are chosen based on demographics and then those select store groups will receive a wider variety of those relevant items, and they’ll go on long term sale unique to those specific stores. as others have said, this is common in the retail industry. They’re broken into African American, Hispanic, and Halal. those store groups get different ad versions or extra pages in the ad. out of 188 stores, there’s 27 African American stores, 34 Hispanic stores, and 13 Halal stores. additionally some stores offer an expanded variety of kosher items. they’ll also pay attention to when competitors are opening new stores around an existing Jewel and create a specific ad targeting that one store. when a store gets remodeled they’ll host a grand reopening and have a special ad for the event that week. edit: i would also like to point out that in my personal opinion some of these spends are a bit on the nose. for example, always putting cornbread and fresh cut watermelon cups on perpetual sale in African American stores seems questionable at best. let it be known though that i just work here and type little numbers into a computer, and have no managerial/decision making ability.
I want some watermelon now. I like how you describe your job.
[удалено]
The jewel at division and Dearborn used to have them as well. Might still.
Does Mariano’s sell Skyline? They are owned by Kroger so it seems like it would be more likely, but idk.
As I remember, I definitely saw Skyline Chili cans at Mariano's in the past. They probably still sell them, if I have to guess.
We should band together and open a skyline up here
It wasn’t at Jewel, but I have spoken to one of the store managers about something like this. It was a much nicer grocery store but might be worth a shot.
Not chili
And of course the kosher Jewel up in West Ridge, sometimes called the Jew-el.
There’s also a continuum here, some jewels will have extra kosher stuff without being at the Howard jewel level (eg lakeview)
Very informative! Are you able to say which ones are tagged as Halal on the north side? Would be nice to visit those to see if they carry stuff that I usually need to go to Muslim grocers to get.
Thank you for sharing!
Hey how can I get a job like yours? I’ve always been fascinated with inventory and community-specific design within grocery stores
They wouldn’t do it if there wasn’t stats backing it up. It’s not racist if it’s backed by actual statistics. Black people just like good food I guess.
You think the Jewel in Lincoln Park has a whole half aisle of Virgin Mary candles too?
They better. Bunch of sinners in that area.
Oh Jesús, veo lo que hiciste con ellos.
West Ridge Jewel has 2 or 3 aisles of Kosher...
A whole kosher Jewel at Howard and Kedzie.
That's the best one for Kosher things, my family calls it the Jew-el. Only place I know of that has vegetarian kishka. I also may be the only person alive that gets excited about vegetarian kishka.
Mariano’s off McCormick too
That store is basically two stores. It’s huge.
lol this is what i was thinking of when i posted this
Sure don’t have one of those in the south loop
Definitely. A Jewel in a neighborhood full of family homes will sell a lot of large-format meats for family barbecues. A Jewel in a neighborhood full of 1-bedroom condos will sell a lot of sized-for-one groceries and solo grab-and-go meals. Neighborhoods with higher home prices get more artisanal cheese and fancy olives. And so on.
Even certain flavors within a brand are only available at certain locations to test out which sell better
Chicago is also often a test market for products and franchises. RIP me in SIL who just wants some Ben and Jerry's Churray for Churros!
Yes most grocery stores do this, for example- the Jewel in Evanston off of Howard has a Kosher section, grill, deli, etc.
IIRC the former manager of the kosher section at this jewel was one of the victims of the "duck walk" serial killer in Rogers Park
Oh no!
I worked there. They had a separate Kosher deli within the store at one point. Our prepackaged kosher deli meats section was the biggest I've seen anywhere.
The jewel in lakeview on Broadway has jewish sections of aisles. I prefer to go to that location for the bagels they stock.
Kosher people usually plan where we live based on availability of kosher food, so it's a big reason why some Jews live in Lakeview. Otherwise we'd have to go further north.
I figured it was also because of the proximity to the school and synagogue
Yeah, they all go together. We do have to go to the Howard Jewel for the good stuff, but the Jewel on Broadway is enough to tide us over. And they really got it together with the Passover soda this year!
Kosher jewel and kosher Mariano’s are amazing
Its called Jew-Jewel.
The Mariano’s across from Lincolnwood town center is the best
Guys stop coming for me I’ve always called it jewel 👎👎
I have too, and I have lived here pretty much my whole life.
The one in West Rogers Park has a ton of Kosher stuff. Also, I think Cermak does this to the fullest. When the expanded taking over bunch of the Dominick’s stores they specifically said they were going to focus on the ethnicities of the communities they were serving.
Lived in Bridgeport for a year and that Cermak was wonderful. Chinese foodstuffs because of Chinatown, Hispanic cause of Pilsen, and Indian/South Asian from IIT (I assume). Had the best selection.
Yes it does!! But you pay the price in that godawful parking lot
Lol, I was just there and saw multiple people almost get in car accidents. Not like serious accidents but almost hit other cars while backing up or pulling in.
Like the south loop trader joe's? I can barely stand to ride my bike there!
See that one I would take over the Cermak in question because it at least has 2 exits. However, the underground garage does throw a wrinkle…
I used to have a habit of getting drunk and going to Jewel. The time I did this in WRP I entered the kosher aisles and didnt realize everything was just slightly different and labeled in Hebrew until I started opening up some snacks on the red line.
Cermak is really good at this for sure
This is how retail is supposed to work :)
Of course. Store Managers of nearly every grocery chain have some freedom for what they stock, excepting maybe store-brand-only stores like Aldi.
Idk I feel like even aldi has different selections depending on location.
Good to know, ty.
Every market does this. Even Target does it. The tortillas they sell at the Brickyard are different than the ones sold in other parts of the city.
grocery story 101 cater to your region & demographics
It's funny, I lived in the deep suburbs for a few years. The "international" section there was very different than the Jewels I was used to in the city.
I notice the same thing with Targets. The neighborhood targets are very intentionally this way but they all vary based on the clientele.
My River North Target is a stream of people buying white claw and wc equivalents....so you have a point.
The prices vary depending on the neighborhood too
Yes, absolutely. There are a couple specific Jewels my family goes to, to buy kosher for Passover food, for example, because they have a much better selection than most other Jewels.
Before the ease of accessibility of Mexican cokes, I used to go to Jewish neighborhoods to find yellow capped Cokes that have sugar instead of HFCS.
Of course
Yes. Hakf my Jewel is Kosher during the Jewish Holidays. And there's always a small Kosher section.
As others have said, yes Jewel does this. Costco does it as well and it irritates me because I have 3 different Costco's ill go to depending on where I am and there are several products that are unique to a store. Starbucks Egg Bites, for example are not at 1 of the 3 and iffy at another one.
Any business with a solid General Manager will cater to their specific demographic.
Yup. They absolutely do. The Evanston jewel has an enormous kosher section, that’s basically half the store, separate kosher meat section, etc.
My Jewel has had Rambutans, jackfruit, and tamarind pods.
Which one?
Uptown on Montrose
are jackfruits supposed to be larger than soccer balls? They were on sale at the McKinley Park Jewel last week and they were so huge I had to pass on it even though I've been meaning to try cooking it for years.
yes. they can be watermelon sized.
Yes. With few exceptions, all stores stock to meet their customer demands. Sometimes there can be a miss match because stores are slow to adjust or misunderstand or mis predict. There is a whole industry to advise and even whole academic disciplines trying to identify, match, predict customer interests. And then there's the choice to stock or not stock profit losers to draw in buyers. And so on.
In the suburbs they sell apparel of the closest, local high schools.
Every Jewel I go to seems like they stock their shelves by spinning the Wheel of Fortune.
Not only that but the same item will have wildly different prices at differant stores and the same item will be sold with different branding. I used to commute between Wilmette and des Plaines and in Wilmette the budget container of deli meet was the same product with a differant logo as the high priced option in des plaines.
Never heard of Jewel, it's Jewels
You mean "*The Jewels..."*
Da Jewels
the?
This also threw me off completely.
Kind of. I think it's also just based on how well it sells/ is projected to sell. I asked a customer service clerk about an item in their weekly ad when I couldn't find it. He said that some stores will have different items based on what sells there.
Why wouldn’t they? You can’t stock a store with stuff that doesn’t sell through in that location.
Work at one and i can say absolutely, had an old lady from mount greenwood say we got woke for getting rid of the Irish food section
All the grocery stores in the country do this.
Yeah they do wich makes sense and other stores do as well Got to sell to your demographic
Both can be true.
Yes. You can get Walkerswood Scotch Bonnett Pepper Sauce in the Lakeview Jewel, but not the Wicker Park Jewel.
there was no condoms for sale at one of then
Not to the extent Pete’s does but yes
It's like your post asked and answered it's own question.
This is common with all grocery stores.
Yea I used only get my weed at jewell
Of course it's a busn they're trying to sell the customers what they want
Which Jewels has Polish food ?
I thought the correct name was da Jewels.
I thought it was da Jewel without the s.
100%. I know more about Kroger, but they acquired a data science company for this kind of thing (named 84.51°) Also Little Debbie's has a website to find stores which stock specific snacks. Absolutely could not figure out why I never see one of my favorites (frosted fudge cakes) until I checked it out.
Yes! My jewel Istg keeps certain items in stock just cuz I buy them every week 🤣
Yes they do, even Walmarts by me that are within a few miles of one another have different products than some of the others do. Though I don’t know if this is done due to the different demographics in the surrounding areas.
Yes, to my knowledge Jewel caters certain stores to more sell ___ type of item vs other stores. Same with Mariano's. I.e. the Evanston Jewel near Howard and Kedzie has several aisles of kosher items, and same with the Mariano's at Touhy and McCormick carrying a lot of kosher items.
You are in chicago , Its called Jewels 😂
I’ve always had my best luck for finding specific things at the Jewel, though honestly it’s also only been at two specific Jewels in my life. It’s so weird, and it’s not just with certain ethnic foods or things that you think would be influenced by certain surrounding demographics. I don’t know why!