In-Store Experience: Meijer Grocery Debuts
In 2022, Grand Rapids, Michigan-based mass merchant Meijer announced its first new store format since its neighborhood grocery market debuted in August 2018. The new concept, dubbed Meijer Grocery, launched on Jan. 26, 2023, with the opening of two stores (ranging from 75,000 square feet to 90,000 square feet) in southeastern Michigan’s Orion and Macomb townships.
Meijer says the grocery format is focused on offering a simplified and convenient shopping experience for customers from start to finish. For example, the parking lot at both stores wraps around a singular corner entrance to maximize the number of parking spaces near the door.
Path to Purchase Institute recently visited one of the stores in Macomb Township. Read on to see what stood out to us.
Upon entering the store, shoppers encounter a modern design, featuring tall ceilings, wide aisles and ample lighting and shelf illumination. Each department is clearly identifiable through large, permanent installments hanging above merchandising units and aisles.
The presence of local brands is elevated across the store — most notably in the produce, meat, liquor and bakery departments — with signage communicating messages like “Michigan made” and “Grown close to home.” The store features a larger assortment of produce than other area stores, as well as a full-service bakery, deli, ready-to-go food counter, meat and seafood counter, and a sizeable BevAlc section.
The store is also more tech-enabled to ease customers’ shopping experience. In the produce department, for example, freestanding scales with digital screens allow shoppers to weigh their produce and print and adhere a label to their item themselves for a quicker checkout.
In the beauty department, an interactive endcap display merchandised Neutrogena products under a digital screen — somewhat similar to ones seen at other Meijer stores. The footage, playing on a loop, invited shoppers to explore the brand’s skincare products showcased below by category (e.g., anti-aging, hydration and makeup remover), while also indicating which shelf they are located on.
Additional elements of the in-store experience that stood out include:
• Smartphone holders affixed to shopping cart handles — to make referencing a digital grocery list easier, or for scanning product (for those who use Shop & Scan through the Meijer mobile app).
• A self-checkout area for Shop & Scan users or smaller baskets of five items or less.
• An expansive “Pet Shop” department that carries 200 pet toys and more than 500 varieties of treats for dogs and cats from national brands and private labels.
• An eye-catching health and wellness wall stocking protein powders and other related products near the pharmacy.
• Recycling bins near the exit that encourage shoppers to discard plastic bags and other flexible plastic films as part of Meijer’s sustainability efforts. An affixed sign logs how many pounds of plastic Meijer and its shoppers have recycled together this year. A similar throw-away bin for expired or unwanted medications is positioned near the pharmacy counter.