statement in a different or stronger terms. If the premise is true, the conclusion must be true. And if the conclusion is true, the premise must be true. Got it?
Let’s see how circular logic applies to ad circulars, which have been around forever. Most of them look about the same as they did decades ago. A typical circular contains about a thousand tiny photos of grocery products advertised for a discount price if bought within a relatively brief timeframe – usually a week.
Most shoppers don’t pick up a circular when they arrive. I don’t know of any research to validate that statement. That’s just my opinion based on observation when visiting grocery stores over the years. I have never seen a shopper looking through a circular when walking around the store, although I imagine some people do. While these customers are browsing, they are either bumping their carts into other carts or crashing into an end-of-aisle display. Courteous shoppers stop to read, but they block flow-through traffic in an aisle at the same time.
Other shoppers take the circular home from the store to study the weekly sales and special offers. If that’s the case, they must return to get those discounts. That’s not logical especially for shoppers who hate going to the store in the first place.
A long-held opinion is that some customers choose their store based on that week’s ads. So, ads for price reductions and BOGO (buy-one-get-one) deals increase store traffic by luring shoppers from competing stores not offering similar discounts that week. That thinking may be changing because most shoppers frequent two or three grocery stores each week. Store X is best for meat; Store Y has the freshest vegetables; Store Z has the most cashiers; and so on. Each store has a circular patiently waiting to be picked up.
Years ago, ad circulars were full of “fun food” such as hot dogs, chips, cookies, and pizza. Nowadays, more space is given to deli, fresh-prepared foods, fruits and vegetables, and assorted better-for-you edibles. Anyone interested in good health should scan today’s circulars to see what’s on sale.
Shoppers receive circulars in the mail and as inserts in the local newspaper, usually on Sunday or Wednesday. Well-organized people refer to the circular at home when creating a shopping list. That’s a habit more shoppers – especially those on a tight budget – should develop.
Mid-sized and large chains are updating their circular strategy by developing digital versions. They think the latter appeals more to younger shoppers who associate pre-digital life with the stone age.
The most common digital circular is merely a PDF of the paper version, but some circulars are more sophisticated. For example, major chains might send out an interactive circular that is searchable, clickable, linked to recipes, and connected to an online list-generating or ordering tool. Tech-oriented folks should find out which stores send such cool circulars and become a frequent shopper.
So, in today’s digital era, why do grocers continue to make paper circulars available at the store entrance? Well, they have always done so, and habits are hard to break. Despite the gradual move to digital circulars, print versions will be with us for a long time. Circulars will be displayed in a rack by the store’s entrance because the rack is where circulars will be displayed.