--- title: Supermarket Science description: Given tiny sales margins, product positioning is crucial. Here's how it's done canonical: https://time.com/archive/6681131/supermarket-science/ author: Jeremy Caplan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2007-05-24T04:00:00.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-27T09:59:58.003Z article:section: Health og:title: Supermarket Science og:description: Given tiny sales margins, product positioning is crucial. Here's how it's done og:url: https://time.com/archive/6681131/supermarket-science/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Supermarket Science twitter:description: Given tiny sales margins, product positioning is crucial. Here's how it's done twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [Health](/section/health/) # Supermarket Science > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Health Matters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Health Matters is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The latest health news and expert advice on living well. Health Matters makes the fast-moving world of health more useful, surprising and human, from the latest science and medical breakthroughs to practical ideas for living better. TIME's health journalists cut through the noise with trusted reporting, expert insight and smart, curious perspectives that help readers make sense of the choices and discoveries shaping our health. 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Health Matters is TIME's daily health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free daily newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. by [Jeremy Caplan](https://time.com/author/jeremy-caplan/) May 24, 2007 4:00 AM UTC by [Jeremy Caplan](https://time.com/author/jeremy-caplan/) May 24, 2007 4:00 AM UTC CHEESE Shelving cheese near wine can nudge shoppers into impulsively buying a bottle of Bordeaux. And posting an attractive salesperson with a small selection of samples–five is often more effective than 50–seems to boost buying. SILVER POLISH Some products have a lucrative rub-off effect. A supermarket-strategy firm found that shoppers who buy silver polish tend to spend more than $200 a trip. So even though it’s a low-turnover product, shelving experts keep it around. KETCHUP To capitalize on customers loyal to certain brands, supermarkets make sure that popular labels, such as Heinz ketchup and Cheerios, are easy to spot and positioned near profitable store brands. DIAPERS They’re not shelved next to condoms because diapers don’t scream “sexy.” But should they be positioned alongside baby food? Given that many consumers spend just seven seconds at a particular display before selecting a product, some store planners want to encourage shoppers to grab related baby products by stocking them all in the same area. Research also suggests that diapers in opaque packaging may evoke less disgust than those in a see-through bag. KITTY LITTER Even before the recent pet-food scare, supermarkets had to be careful about where to put kitty litter, since its use carries a definite ick factor. Attractive, bright packaging may help, but positioning in the pet section remains a challenge. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/archive/6681131/supermarket-science/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/archive/6681131/supermarket-science/"},"headline":"Supermarket Science","datePublished":"2007-05-24T04:00:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-27T09:59:58.003Z","description":"Given tiny sales margins, product positioning is crucial. 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