If I know something I use all the time is going to be discontinued I stock up on it. I won't stock up on what I don't use. Why woulld I?

Sure Walt if money were my carrot but it isn't. Now if I knew someone...a friend or relative...who did like and use it I'd buy some for him/her. But I wouldn't charge for it. It would be a "just because" thing that we do for people we like who do the same for us. That's a pretty evil laugh ya got there m'dear! Scary! Thank you for your reply! :)

You are a very ASTUTE observer of life today Shuhak. I've lost count of the things Jim and I liked a lot and bought ALL THE TIME that just disappeared. You ask "why" and they tell you one of two things. They don't have enough shelf space to keep carrying things and just keep adding new things so they have to move stuff out to make room to move stuff in. OR The manufacturer just stopped making it! Just like that. I guess manufacturers can't keep making everything all the time and just keep adding to the production line. So out with the old and in with the new and your tough luck if there is no replacement for what went out! You're right that they don't ALWAYS inform you. But in our stores they will label it "CLOSEOUT". That's your key to knowing when what they have on the shelves is gone it's gone. Their "reduced to clear" is always on separate kiosks or  stand-along shelf racks around the market. The CLOSEOUT is always labeled right under whatever is on the shelf where it is featured. So that's how I know what to not expect to see again. Your stores don't do that up north? Maybe not the stores where you shop. I shop Walmart and Winco mostly. Sometimes we check out Sprouts and Stater Brothers and Smart&Final too. Thank you for your reply Shuhak! :)

You basically have it right.  I worked in the grocery business for nearly 30 years; this is like second nature to me.


Different stores use different titles for reducing discontinued product.  Your "reduced to clear" is a markdown bin/area.  They use that to move product that's no longer in set (from resets), as well as overstock, close-dated, or damaged items.  It can also be for disco product.  "Closeout" (discontinued) product has a short shelf life (meaning before it is removed from the computer by teh store or by the manufacturer.  Sometimes teh vendor gives stores allowances for the disco product, thus it stays on the shelf until it's gone.  Sometimes stores will dico product they know will be removed in an upcoming reset, so they put "closeout" tags on them it in order to sell them through (best to sell it through at register price than to mark it down in the markdown bin.  Basically its all about who takes the loss for it - the individual store, corporate, advertising, the vendor or other.  The store wants to reduce its shrink, and corporate wants to make money.