An Unknowing Customer

I don't know about you, but i am happy that they upped daylight savings time a few weeks. Though my commute is not too far, it seems harder in the dark. In this issue we tried to shed some light of our own -- on category management that is. Prior to joining CGT, I was just an ordinary innocent consumer. I never analyzed my shopping pattern, thought about my trip mission or how it was different from Target to Wal-Mart, examined my feelings about a brand or noticed much about how the shelf was arranged. However, I am sure I was frustrated (still am!) when the product I wanted was hard to find or out of stock. I never knew how much CG companies really cared about what "I" think and that they are in cahoots with retail. With my new found knowledge I can do laps around Stop & Shop and laugh -- wondering if my cart happens to have an RFID tracker in it. I can leave my loyalty card at home occasionally and make the store swipe one so you don't know what I buy and I can switch to private label for no apparent reason. . . okay now I've taken it too far. (I am definitely a brand loyalist in many categories.) Seriously though, I never knew how much strategy is behind the shelf. ConAgra Foods is our cover story (Page 16) and they discuss this strategy and how it plays out at the company. Rounding out the topic, Procter & Gamble (Page 20) reveals its excellent results in forecasting, and the smaller guys chime in too -- case studies from Swisher International and CCF Brands. Make sure you read Catching Up With . . .where else will you find out about the very first jobs of C-level executives in our industry? Turn to Page 14 for Kara Romanow's interview with Joe Patti, vice president, retail planning & category management, national retail sales at Anheuser Busch.

Talk to me folks: [email protected]  

Lori Castle, Editor//