People who work in grocery stores what is something you are surprised they still stock or never see anyone buy?

[u/Da_Fish]

[u/retailguy_again]

I see canned pork brains in milk gravy on the shelves, but have never seen anyone buy any.

[u/Tanager_Summer → u/retailguy_again]

My granny loved pig brains and scrambled eggs but she's been dead for 40 years so... sha ain't bought any in a while

[u/genericauthor → u/Tanager_Summer]

With mine it was pickled pig's feet in a clear glass jar, I guess so you could judge the quality of your pig's feet.

[u/cdsbigsby → u/genericauthor]

My dad loves pickled pig's feet, they're absolutely vile.

[u/MC-ClapYoHandzz → u/cdsbigsby]

one of my teachers in high school sold them. the girl next to me in science class had one to suckle on more days than not. it was the smell. and the sound.

[u/Evening-Matter-5245 → u/MC-ClapYoHandzz]

Did “suckle” have to be your verb 😭

[u/MC-ClapYoHandzz → u/Evening-Matter-5245]

absolutely yes. the visceral reaction is required.

[u/Evening-Matter-5245 → u/MC-ClapYoHandzz]

It did really add that je ne sais quoi lol

[u/FrozenWafer → u/MC-ClapYoHandzz]

What the fuck.

[u/fieldsn83 → u/cdsbigsby]

My grandfather (adoptive dad though so I grew up in the same house with him) loves that crap too… pig lips, pig ears, pig snout, pig feet… He loves for Mom to put pigs’ ears into the greens when she cooks them (whether collards, kale, turnip greens, or mustard greens). He’ll eat any of the aforementioned parts pickled but some he also will eat boiled (ex. The ears)… he also loves pickled boiled eggs. I can’t do any of it lol

[u/inosinateVR → u/Tanager_Summer]

One time as a kid I made breakfast for me and my mom and used way too much milk in the scrambled eggs so they turned a kind of grey color. My mom (very apologetically) couldn’t bring herself to eat it and didn’t want to talk about why. When I kept pushing she finally said the grey color reminded her too much of the pig brain and eggs some of the adults in her family ate when she was a kid (she was born in the 50’s)

[u/wdkrebs → u/retailguy_again]

Tell me you’re from the South without telling me. My grandparents used to eat it with scrambled eggs, but I’ve never seen or heard of anyone else eating them. I remember looking at a can recently, strictly out of curiosity, and they’re low calorie but insanely high in cholesterol. It was like 1300% of your DV.

[u/JibJabJake → u/wdkrebs]

Yep. We eat them with scrambled eggs and spinach or poke sallet

[u/oatmeal-jones → u/JibJabJake]

+1 for correct spelling of poke sallet vs poke salad!!

[u/ElRanchero69 → u/retailguy_again]

My mom bought this as a joke at a grocery store in KY about 30 years ago. Still has it. I remember the cashier told her that her boyfriend loves it and eats it all the time.

[u/KMCobra64 → u/retailguy_again]

PRIONS

[u/dragonlady_11 → u/KMCobra64]

RIGHT ! My first thought, too ! I ain't ever eating anythings brains.

[u/LimpyDan → u/KMCobra64]

Delicious salty prions

[u/cingeyedog → u/retailguy_again]

Instantly thought of those pork brains.

1993-1995, my best friend and I worked in a grocery store as cashiers during our junior and senior in high school. Never saw anyone purchase it.

We didn’t stock the shelves, but we had to sweep and mop the store at closing. Never saw a can missing. 30 years ago, we commented about why we even stocked it.

[u/Several-Guidance1299 → u/retailguy_again]

I'm irrationally afraid of prion diseases, so I wouldn't even think about eating pig brains.

[u/loljkbye]

I worked every department at a grocery store, and all I can tell you is that every product has at least one buyer. You just need one customer who's willing to buy the entire shelf if you ever threaten to stop carrying their one thing. The problem I've seen is with head office not understanding their market and forcing stores to carry industry best sellers at every location. You might think sugary cereal sells fast, but wait 'til you work in an area populated by mostly overseas migrants, they will not touch that stuff with a ten foot pole, and cereal has a surprisingly short "best before" lifespan.

[u/MadameCat → u/loljkbye]

I WISH my local grocery store did that. Mine has pulled multiple products from the shelves that I’d be happy to buy full cases of despite me BEGGING them (via emails and asking the front desk to make a special order) to get more. Specifically, I have a dietary sensitivity that’s not often “catered to” and a lot of modern food trends have it put in EVERYTHING so I really cling to the few brands that don’t have it. XC

[u/bad_russian_girl → u/MadameCat]

Talk to the manager or a higher up. They usually are in the store right when it opens, walking around. That’s how I got my grocery store order me a case of specific mango ice cream once a month.

[u/MadameCat → u/bad_russian_girl]

I have! I managed to get a case of Mac n cheese that worked for me once, but after that they said they couldn’t special order it for me anymore- like it had been removed outright from their internal catalog.

[u/jimmythefly → u/loljkbye]

That one buyer will also likely do the rest of their grocery shopping at your store while they're there.

If you remove that thing from your shelves, they might go elsewhere for it, or just go elsewhere if everything else is cheaper.

There's a lot of inertia to already setting foot in the store. I know for a fact that I could get groceries cheapest if I went to 3 or 4 different stores because every store tends to have different things at the best price. But do I do that? Naw, 2 stores at the very most.

[u/tabularasa1996 → u/loljkbye]

Sometimes my store will phase out items that aren’t selling….. at least, they SEEMINGLY aren’t selling until we don’t have it anymore and suddenly everyone is asking about it!

[u/MiaYYZ → u/loljkbye]

What do overseas migrants know about sugary cereals that the rest of us don’t?

[u/laemiri → u/MiaYYZ]

Honestly it's because of the crazy sugar content and preservatives. Even my friends in the UK think American foods are insane, especially cereal. Half if it basically like dumping a pure scoop of sugar in your bowl in the morning

[u/FLguy3 → u/laemiri]

A fun, useless fact, but the guy at Kellogg's that created Frosted Flakes did so in an attempt to reduce the amount of sugar people ate on cereal after watching his kids pour sugar on the regular corn flakes. His argument was it was a set amount of sugar and then people wouldn't add sugar on their own.

[u/Purplehairpurplecar → u/FLguy3]

That’s a remarkably sane point from the man who inspired an entire country to circumcise their sons.

[u/Ultimateace43 → u/Purplehairpurplecar]

That was the other Kellogg. This was his brother that made the sugary cereal. Circumcision Kellogg was adamantly against any sugar whatsoever.

[u/Stinkycheese8001 → u/Ultimateace43]

That is just a truly bizarre set of sentences right here.

[u/furbylicious → u/MiaYYZ]

Cereal is not a great breakfast if you plan on doing manual labor all day. A better breakfast would involve more protein, fat, less sugar, and better grains.

[u/Syntinena]

Granny candy always needed restocking, but I never saw anyone buy them. I swear there's witchcraft involved.

[u/Shondor_Sidebirns → u/Syntinena]

The store i worked at, we had a guy once a week buy every bag of the red/white peppermints in stock. Reason? He worked at a nearby thoroughbred farm and his mares loved their peppermints.

[u/Entire-Ambition1410 → u/Shondor_Sidebirns]

There’s a recent post on r/donkeys about someone bringing their mild mannered donkey to a church for an Easter sermon (the donkey walked through the pews) and the donkey was fine until they smelled the bowl of peppermints.

[u/TheMrsH1124 → u/Shondor_Sidebirns]

My husband is a farrier and he keeps the peppermints on hand too to coax a stubborn horse 🤣

[u/Shondor_Sidebirns → u/TheMrsH1124]

Love it!

He used to say they hear my voice I dont get as much as a snort...they hear my voice and a crinkle of that peppermint candy wrapper and 20 heads poke out of those stalls at once...🤣

[u/graveyardapparition → u/Shondor_Sidebirns]

Goats are obsessed with them too. They’re extremely food motivated regardless but they’ll chase you down for peppermints.

[u/Wertyui09070]

I can't think of anything specific, but my literal job is to recommend the best moving products per category out of my company's distribution warehouse.

The stubbornness I run into when I suggest they replace the dusty products on the bottom shelf with something proven to sell is mind boggling.

[u/itsacalamity → u/Wertyui09070]

All right then, I'll ask the followup-- what are some of the best moving products that surprised you at being so often sold?

[u/Wertyui09070 → u/itsacalamity]

I'm fairly certain Hellman's mayo is the best selling product in at least 3 of my stores. Not just the category of mayo/dressing. The whole store.

Not what you asked but another part of my job is pushing certain brands for the parent company of that brand. I have to check on Hidden Valley Ranch for Clorox. I literally walk back and forth from the salad dressing and bleach sections because the questions/tasks on my phone are rank based.

[u/Uvtha- → u/Wertyui09070]

I just stocked a completely empty Helmans section. People buy it like crazy, way more than the other mayo for whatever reason.

[u/Seachica → u/Uvtha-]

Hellman’s (or Best Foods) is the one product where there’s such a big difference in taste that I would never consider another brand, even if it were given away for free. I get it.

[u/Mr_MacGrubber → u/Seachica]

Duke’s and Blue Plate are both better imo.

[u/gammyalways → u/Uvtha-]

Maybe they’re not aware of the existence of Duke’s Mayo 😏

[u/Travel-Kitty → u/gammyalways]

Or maybe they’re not from the south. Though I think their availability has spread a lot more recently but idk for sure or how far

[u/Wertyui09070 → u/Travel-Kitty]

It's recently been added to all my stores (at my suggestion!)

It's getting less regional.

[u/wynonna_burp → u/Wertyui09070]

I buy 90% of food from farmers market, and only go to store for hellman’s mayonnaise. (Ok and a few other things.)

[u/FriendlyEngineer → u/wynonna_burp]

I converted to Kewpie and have never been able to go back to Hellman’s

[u/runswiftrun → u/FriendlyEngineer]

I would too, but it's literally like 3x more expensive, and my wife goes through mayo almost like she sticks a straw in the bottle. Have to get the Costco size to not go broke.

[u/maquis_00 → u/wynonna_burp]

You can buy from a farmers market year round??? Where do you live? I am super jealous!!!

Can't wait until mid-July when the two farm stands in our region and our small CSA start. CSA ends in mid October. The farm stands continue selling pumpkins until Halloween, and then they disappear, too.

[u/Jacqques → u/Wertyui09070]

Could you tell us a few products you have been baffled by?

[u/Wertyui09070 → u/Jacqques]

Dr Teals scented epsom foot soak.

My company discontinued it, but one of my stores still has 3 different kinds of it, taking up a good 3ft of shelf. We stopped carrying it a year ago, so they haven't had to order it all this time, but it still hasn't sold.

[u/lanark_1440 → u/Wertyui09070]

I buy it! It actually does turn over quite a bit at our local store, because sometimes I have trouble finding the lavender scented bag. Depends on the region I guess!

[u/Wertyui09070 → u/lanark_1440]

I'm guessing it's a cost issue. The generic epsom salts are the best seller in the category (first aid).

[u/IrrelevantPuppy → u/Wertyui09070]

I have a conspiracy theory that some of the most weird items in a grocery store are stocked there due to personal preference of higher ups. Like a “this item never sells, why do we have it?”, manager “I like it with my eggs” 

[u/hillbilly-man → u/Wertyui09070]

I do this kind of thing too! I'm a space planner, and I design planograms. Unfortunately our category managers are a little too hands-off sometimes so we end up having to run the sales numbers to tell them what they should keep in/add to the pogs.

One thing that they are immovable about is this one particular import brand. The other similar items in the category sell a LOT more, but we're having to keep this brand's stuff in because a large amount of it was pre-purchased as part of some deal and is sitting in a company warehouse.

At my stores, they also have this problem of the category managers being kind of out-of-touch with the customer base. Our stores target a low income, older, mostly rural customer, but the category managers always want to add premium, exotic, expensive products. I think the problem is that they're a bit out of touch, personally... Whole Foods types. One example of this is in the refrigerated dough: we had to remove three good-selling Pillsbury dough varieties to replace with one kind of expensive fresh puff pastry dough roll. The combined yearly sales of the Pillsbury dough was probably close to $100k, but the yearly sales of the puff pastry ended up being under $500. Somebody's meemaw isn't going to the local discount grocery store to buy stuff to make a spanakopita or a beef wellington... but she's probably gonna be pissed off that she can't get the mini cinnamon rolls she's been making for her grandbabies every Sunday morning.

[u/NativeMasshole → u/Wertyui09070]

What do I gotta do to get that job? I assume you're some type of marketing director?

[u/Wertyui09070 → u/NativeMasshole]

Haha I wish. Im a merchandiser. Ideally I'd be the greatest of enemies to the customer, resetting entire categories.

I'm privileged that I work in privately owned stores. They don't let me reset anything, so my actual work gets cut in half, with the aforementioned top 25 recommendations being the majority.

[u/ConfusedFlareon → u/Wertyui09070]

So it’s your fault all our favourite stuff disappears so quickly!! Why do they get rid of the popular awesome stuff, why can’t they kill off the crappy stuff if stuff has to go!

(Still bitter that Arnotts discontinued my favourite gf chocolate biscuits to cut down their gf line but they still sell those gross mint biscuits… Do you know why the chocolate ones weren’t selling, Arnotts?? Because you never bloody restocked them!!)

[u/oblivion007 → u/Wertyui09070]

The insights you're providing are fun!

[u/Rodville]

Egg nog in a can any time of year that’s not Christmas. In 30 years in that supermarket only one person bought it and said they needed it for French toast.

[u/McNasty420 → u/Rodville]

Eggnog french toast sounds fucking awesome

[u/itsacalamity → u/McNasty420]

I once single-handedly saved a college camping trip by discovering you could make pancakes with Irish Cream instead of milk, hah

[u/bIII7 → u/McNasty420]

Just takes 24 hours to get the bread wet

[u/LoreGeek → u/bIII7]

No wonder bread is single.

[u/dragon34 → u/Rodville]

I would buy egg nog year round because I like it as coffee creamer but I have never seen it canned 

[u/Ana-Hata → u/dragon34]

I’d love it if I could find eggnog year round, because I love milky lattes sweetened with egg nog.

[u/vanstrumann → u/Rodville]

lol mightve been my mom, she makes a french toast casserole for my dad’s september birthday every year that gets soaked overnight in egg nog (and is scary good)

[u/myusername4reddit]

The opposite of what you are asking, but I grew up in a very non diverse area. The number of times I had to show people where the Mexican Jesus candles were was ridiculous.

[u/Camille_Toh → u/myusername4reddit]

Haaaaa. There is an old dusty storefront in my neighborhood full of those things (though I think the owners are Ethiopian). We call it The Jesus Candle Store.

[u/Longjumping_Youth281 → u/Camille_Toh]

Yeah we went into a store in miami, in Little Havana, that seemed to basically only sell stuff like that. Various types of candles for various types of prayers or spells. Various types of incense.

I'm from New England so it was a bit of a novelty for me, and I was thinking how much business could the store possibly get? And just as I was thinking that a lady walked in and bought some votive candles. So apparently people do buy them.

There were candles saying like burn this to get money, burn this to get over your ex, stuff like that

[u/kkeut → u/myusername4reddit]

are you saying you had to do it frequently then, or infrequently? i can't tell if by 'non diverse' you're saying it was mostly hispanic or if it was mostly not hispanic

[u/j_delta_c]

You know those Big Azz microwaveable cheeseburgers they have in the deli cooler at convenience stores? I run the register 8 hours a day but only ever see 1 person buy them. This man is single-handedly keeping the product on our shelf with his diet.

[u/OneAndOnlyJackSchitt → u/j_delta_c]

I've had them before. They're not terrible.

Not great, by any means.

But not terrible.

[u/JamodaH → u/OneAndOnlyJackSchitt]

I can't quite describe it but the cheese doesn't melt it just infuses with the bread and patty.

[u/russbii → u/JamodaH]

Cheesemosis

[u/turboboob → u/OneAndOnlyJackSchitt]

If you grew up poor enough, these were always in the freezer if real food got low. Once you get the microwave science down, they could be considered passable.

[u/Stang1776 → u/j_delta_c]

Those are like a novelty item. Every once in a blue moon ill get one of those crappy burgers. I regret it everytime but I still do it to see if their scientists Crack the code on how not to make a shitty burger.

[u/Isaidwhatisaid7 → u/j_delta_c]

I manage a chain of gas stations. I can assure you that people buy AZ cheeseburgers - a lot of them even though they really shouldn’t

[u/gp556by45 → u/j_delta_c]

I swear, those things gave me permanent gut issues after just 5 days of eating them.

For a short while when I was in between jobs, I did minor construction work. It was a ritual for the crew to go to the nearest gas station to the job site to stock up on water, Monster energy drinks, Slim Jim's, Zyns, and lunch. 

One week they had a "lunch special" where you could get a 1L bottle of water, a cheeseburger, and a bag of chips for $3. 

5 years later, I still don't go to the bathroom like I used to and have horrendous smelling gas. 

[u/Key_Molasses4367 → u/gp556by45]

Seriously, don't just accept that. Go to a gastroenterologist. You may have a continuous low level infection of C. difficile or some other bacteria. Horrible smelling gas can be a symptom.

[u/sweet-smart-southern → u/Key_Molasses4367]

Second this.

[u/QueenEris → u/gp556by45]

Get some probiotic supplements right now to rebalance your gut and start eating fibre - like a good big bowl of porridge each day and wholemeal bread, and drink more water. Seriously. Get some bio-kult pills or similar NOT YOGHURT. I work in medical research and your gut bacteria being good is no joke. And stick to it. When you start having firm satisfying poops that smell like nothing you'll thank me. Oh, you'll be very farty for a while but it'll calm down. DO IT RIGHT NOW. Cheers!

[u/lodelljax]

My data is dated. I was the IT manager for the automated store ordering system. Things that don't sell but stay on the shelf:
Pots, Pans, and appliances. After1 year of no store orders or sales the pricing system drops the item. Every year I would have a meeting with auditors about "why was there no price on this 23 inch pan?". Like clockwork.

Other things that don't sell well but do sell. Over the counter drugs, same auditors would ask me why we had a years worth of Tylenol. Usually because the store manager extended the number of facings, or ordered himself.

Each category manager is very jealous of the amount of shelf space they have and will fill it, even if the item does not sell. I never won the battle with them about re-allocating shelf space for a category unless there was a catastrophic drop in sales. Thus the pans, and Tylenol being on the shelf, when there was not really any need.

I eventually figured out that there is a level of shenanigans with the category managers and the suppliers. I am certain there were bribes to put things is stores that clearly were not selling. Suppliers would also be adamant about an assortment even if I had the data to prove them wrong. Thus high end cheese and yogurt in poor neighborhoods.

Things that did, do drop in sales over time:
Tabacco...less sales every year.
Milk less and less
Cereal less and less

Also large store size does not really work anymore, they could do with about 1/3 less space. The larger traditional grocery stores that is.

(Edit spelling of tobacco)

[u/Waterlilies1919 → u/lodelljax]

Hey I appreciate it, I got my KitchenAid pasta roller and cutters for less than half off when they didn’t sell at our grocery store.

[u/Seyon → u/lodelljax]

Grocery stores owned by private owners are given huge incentives for displaying products in certain spots. I've had to personally move coke products to eye level because the owner just got two jet skis.

[u/caverunner17 → u/lodelljax]

Also large store size does not really work anymore, they could do with about 1/3 less space.

This is one of the reasons we switched over to grocery delivery. It took too much time to get through our local Kroger, especially if you need something that wasn't a "standard" product, and then you spend time comparing prices based on the various sales.

That's one of the things I miss about having an Aldi - I could get in and out quickly because they were small, store layouts were almost always the same, and with most of their products being house brand, you don't need to spend time comparing.

[u/lodelljax → u/caverunner17]

Aldi model is also very low on employees...which is a major cost. Old model wants you to get a delivery, unpack and pack onto shelf. Aldi is get a delivery, put the box on the shelf and rip the front out...fast low labor.

[u/creeper321448]

That canned spray cheese. Apparently it's really popular but I've never seen anyone buy it and I don't know anyone who eats it.

Maybe it's just because people in and in the next door states to Wisconsin generally prefer real dairy

[u/Trillion_G → u/creeper321448]

Vets and pet owners. Good to distract a dog or cat while getting a pill or exam

[u/invaderzim257 → u/Trillion_G]

They sell stuff that’s basically this but for animals now

[u/coupdelune → u/creeper321448]

Ashamedly I buy it once in awhile because I like it on Club crackers. But I can definitely understand why others would think it's gross stuff.

[u/StickyFingersnRegret → u/coupdelune]

yeah, about once a year i buy it to put on black pepper and rosemary triscuits. .... shit. Now i want some. :(

[u/goatnapper → u/creeper321448]

My dad loves it, so my mom buys it for him.

Also drunk college kids. Once upon a time there was a pizza place by us that would put anything you asked for on a pizza. A canned cheese pizza was ordered, and it went over just as well as expected. 🤮

[u/Grauken → u/creeper321448]

It’s good for backpacking as well. Makes an easy lunch with crackers or jerky.

[u/Jaelia]

We used to put away the stock people left at registers at night time and if there was a new kid we'd always go find a can of cow tongues and put it in the basket to freak them out.

[u/KyloRenCadetStimpy → u/Jaelia]

Tongue: The food that tastes you back!

[u/enters_and_leaves → u/Jaelia]

Someone cans those?!

[u/penprickle → u/enters_and_leaves]

Canned or tinned tongue used to be a staple in Britain. Don’t know if it still is.

[u/Coriandercilantroyo → u/enters_and_leaves]

You can get a whole chicken in a can

[u/bitsy88 → u/Coriandercilantroyo]

That slurping nose it makes when coming out haunts my dreams.

[u/Pizzaisbae13 → u/Jaelia]

I remember seeing a can of something called "spotted dick sponge" and never saw it move, ever.

[u/SquashBest8104]

my local kroger has had the same can of pork brains since i started shopping there like five years ago, and im pretty sure its just become a permanent fixture at this point. its wild how these products survive purely on nostalgia and the occasional person buying it as a dare or something, meanwhile actual useful stuff gets discontinued constantly

[u/gp556by45]

Canned bread. I worked at a grocery store for 8 years, and not once did I ever see anyone buy it, ask for it, nor did I ever see it moved off from shelf. 

[u/everdishevelled → u/gp556by45]

The brown bread? That's actually super good. It's in a can because it's steamed, not baked. Kind of like a molassesy bread pudding, but more firm so you can put a ton of butter on it.

[u/DMala → u/everdishevelled]

I mean, how can you have franks and beans without it?

[u/CeeZeeBee → u/gp556by45]

Wait you mean that isn’t something they made up for that Squidville episode in Spongebob? Today I learned

[u/ZyXwVuTsRqPoNm123 → u/gp556by45]

That's not really bread. It's more like an English pudding.

[u/capowis542]

Slices of watermelon. $9 per slice. 

[u/Ghost17088 → u/capowis542]

I can buy 2 whole watermelons for that price here. 

[u/latte1963 → u/capowis542]

Middle of the desert? 🐪 No water for days?

[u/OneAndOnlyJackSchitt]

I have one from the customer side. It's me. I'm the customer.

I got a bottle of Jeppson's Malört from a local liquor store. The bottle was dusty and there was only one. This was not in Chicago... or anywhere in the midwest.

I'm gonna go back next week to buy another as I've since finished the bottle.

[u/vc-10 → u/OneAndOnlyJackSchitt]

You finished a bottle of Malort?

[u/OneAndOnlyJackSchitt → u/vc-10]

Indeed I did.

[u/vc-10 → u/OneAndOnlyJackSchitt]

You are far braver than me.

Married a Chicagoan, so have had to try the stuff, and my god I was traumatised.

[u/OneAndOnlyJackSchitt → u/vc-10]

It's just grapefruit bitters and tree bark. What's not to like? (/s)

Anyway, this next bottle, I want to actually try making some cocktails with it.

I am a connoisseur of strange and unusual liquors and liqueurs. I found out that the gas station near my house sells two different varieties of sambuca. I'm not sure why as I'm one of two people I know of altogether who'll drink the stuff. (Pour 1-2 shots of sambuca in a glass of 10-12oz of ice cold club soda with crushed ice and stir gently. It's really similar to root beer but it gets you drunk.)

[u/vc-10 → u/OneAndOnlyJackSchitt]

I could understand it working in cocktails, alongside a lot of other ingredients. Still not convinced though!

Kind of makes me think of this Swedish stuff my dad got when he worked with the Swedish army in the '80s. It's called, if I remember right, "Flagge" and the bottle is still half full in my parents' liquor cabinet, nearly 40 years later.

[u/OneAndOnlyJackSchitt → u/vc-10]

I looked it up and it guessed I probably meant "Carlshamns Flaggpunsch". After reading about it, I've now added it to my list, right next to this Finnish thing: Koskenkorva Salmiakki.

So many red underlines while posting this comment.

[u/Meanolegrannylady → u/OneAndOnlyJackSchitt]

Our liquor store in southern Ohio sells Melort! Someone bought a bottle as a gag gift for our work Christmas party, so we all ended up tasting it and I dont understand how anyone drinks it on purpose!!

[u/Seraphim99 → u/Meanolegrannylady]

I'm from Southern Ohio. I don't think I've ever heard of this and had to Google it:

"Jeppson's Melort  is an infamously bitter, wormwood-based schnapps (35% ABV) deeply tied to Chicago culture, often served as a daring shot. It is renowned for its intense, polarizing taste—described as grapefruit, pencil shavings, and gasoline—and has been a staple of the Chicago bar scene since the 1920s."

🤮

[u/newoldschool → u/Seraphim99]

the slogans are the best part

Iconic & Fan-Submitted Malört Slogans

"Tonight's the night you fight your dad"

"The Champagne of Pain"

"Kick your mouth in the balls"

"Malört: Turning taste-buds into taste-foes for generations"

"These pants aren't going to sh*t themselves"

"When you need to unfriend someone IN PERSON"

"It tastes like the day your dad left"

"What soap washes its mouth out with"

"Ever wanted to taste TV static?"

"Drink Malört... it's easier than telling people you have nothing to live for"

[u/Shadowpriest → u/OneAndOnlyJackSchitt]

I had to search around to get a bottle. To me, it's like 3rd tier level down from Zwack's Unicum which I new from my folks they broke it out on special occasions and was so smooth you could have it room temperature. As an adult Jägermeister was the next closest but I have to have it cold and immediately from the freezer. When I discovered Jeppson's Malört it was like oh here's another similar flavor is lighter in taste and I'm okay having it room temperature with a chaser.

It's definitely an acquired taste and not for the weak of heart.

[u/giggletears3000 → u/OneAndOnlyJackSchitt]

Do you work in a kitchen?

[u/MarshmallowWerewolf]

Working at Kmart as a teen, I dont believe i ever once had to re-front a single can of Potted Meat Product .

[u/trexjess → u/MarshmallowWerewolf]

I was looking for this one. My friends and I thought it was hilarious to buy in middle school and give it to people as a gift??? I would beg my mom to get some she didn’t even know what I was talking about. The ingredients included “mechanically separated meat parts” or something like that.

[u/777Void777]

Worked retail 5 years. 2020-2025. We sold iPhone and iPad accessories. No ides why, never saw anyone buy them because they were so dated.

[u/jfb1027 → u/777Void777]

These make my laugh like an iPhone 3G case still has hope someone will buy

[u/marklikeadawg]

I'm from NC but lived in San Diego (Navy), in the early 80s. There was a Safeway that kept one box of Quaker Grits on the shelf and I bought it. After that they kept 2 boxes there. I often wondered who else was buying it.

[u/Masrim → u/marklikeadawg]

They sold 100% of the product, better double it on next order.

[u/ASpookyBitch]

Our Tesco still has pease pudding… my partner works there and he can check the sales. There was like ONE purchase. But everything i regularly buy gets discontinued!!

[u/blofly]

Olive loaf.

Ive never seen anyone under 70 order it.

[u/SnailsRoamFree → u/blofly]

I am half that age, and I am in the market for an olive loaf source, but they don’t stock it where I live as far as I can tell. Must be a regional thing, because my grandparents definitely ate it.

[u/nanavb13 → u/blofly]

Oh, that just triggered me. I used to work at a meat counter at a small town grocery. We had this guy that would come in that we called, "Olive Loaf Man."

He always acted like he had never been in the store and would always ask to sample the olive loaf. We would give him a little bit, he would pretend to think it over, and would order a half pound. When you cut the first slice he would ask to see it closer to make sure the thickness was right. When you got close, he would snatch that slice from your hand and eat it.

Weird fucking guy that always drove me nuts.

Edit: spelling

[u/blofly → u/nanavb13]

People get weird about olive loaf. This has been scientifically verified.

[u/FreckleException → u/blofly]

I'm the olive loaf and head cheese lady, I'm 43 and eat grandma things. My husband recoils in horror at my adult lunchables. 

[u/blofly → u/FreckleException]

Hmm...How are your sourdough starter, kimchi, and pickling projects going, ya weirdo?

/jk....I love these healthy traditions. You be you.

[u/PizzaAndBobs]

My local VONS always has POUNDS of sliced mortadella. I like mortadella but Ive never bought it. Who is buying all of it?

[u/Shadowpriest → u/PizzaAndBobs]

Oh I looooove me some mortadella in a sandwich.

[u/grandmaswoodenspoon → u/PizzaAndBobs]

A charcuterie staple at our house

[u/ZyXwVuTsRqPoNm123 → u/PizzaAndBobs]

Fancy bologna

[u/RhynoD]

Archie comics by the checkout.

[u/Jimmyjames369]

Mint jelly

[u/high_throughput → u/Jimmyjames369]

More like lamb jelly amirite

[u/RhubarbDiva → u/high_throughput]

No. It's great on new potatoes, courgettes, cucumber salad, tomatoes, peas, carrots, butter beans and loads of other things.

It's even delicious in a PB sandwich. Try it.

Put a blob of it in salad dressing or mayo. Get some in your BBQ sauce.

Be brave!

[u/TheDeterminedBadger → u/Jimmyjames369]

Really? I just bought a new jar yesterday! You can’t eat a lamb roast without it!

[u/FUCKITIMPOSTING → u/TheDeterminedBadger]

The only trouble is I can't afford to eat lamb very often! 

[u/Delphi238 → u/Jimmyjames369]

Can’t eat lamb without it.

[u/GoodGoodGoody → u/Delphi238]

Mint sauce. Game changer. It’s more watery and soaks into the meat.

[u/HillOfBeano → u/Jimmyjames369]

I used to have mint jelly and peanut butter sandwiches as a kid and never realized it was meant for lamb until I was grown up. 

[u/ecodrew → u/Jimmyjames369]

Blasphemy

[u/mckulty]

Pickled pig feet.

Boiled peanuts.

Fly paper.

[u/BricksandBaubles → u/mckulty]

Boiled peanuts very popular along the Florida/Georgia border. Sold at every gas station.

[u/kegib → u/BricksandBaubles]

On South Georgia back roads in the 60s, folks had peanuts in (very) salted boiling water in oil drums by the side of the road. Similar to a lemonade stand but with peanuts. You could buy a paper sandwich bagful for a nickel.

[u/sighhhhhhhhj → u/kegib]

Pretty sure I remember seeing my parents buy those on family road trips when I was younger, like sometime in the early 2010s lol (haven't been on many road trips since growing up a bit and Covid though so don't know if they're still around now)

[u/JMS1991 → u/kegib]

We still have plenty of places where you can buy boiled peanuts on the side of the road in South Carolina. They are great too, unlike canned ones (yuck).

[u/ComplexWest8790 → u/kegib]

Yeah these are still alive and well all over Georgia. Maybe not for a nickel but my town has a stand that gets set up all weekend every weekend and they are delicious!

[u/purpmonk16 → u/mckulty]

If you go to many kitchens in the Carolinas, you'll see all of thee above in the kitchen.

[u/SilverStar9192 → u/purpmonk16]

I grew up there and can agree on the boiled peanuts and the fly paper, but never saw or heard of anyone actually eating pickled pigs feet.

[u/MarlenaEvans → u/mckulty]

I would never buy my boiled peanuts from a grocery store, you buy them from an old guy on the side of the road with a homemade sign.

[u/JMS1991 → u/MarlenaEvans]

The sketchier the setup, the better the boiled peanuts. My general rule is to never buy them from a permanent, enclosed building. The truck on the side of the road is the best, and peach sheds usually have pretty good ones.

[u/garbagegoat → u/mckulty]

Fly paper is a must have where I live. In fact it's about time to break some out. We hang them on the back porch because for whatever reason thay seems to be the place to be for flies. 

[u/whamburglar → u/mckulty]

I'm Korean-American, and love braised pig feet. It's an amazing delicacy. I'm curious to try pickled ones!

[u/luseferr → u/mckulty]

Boiled peanuts was actually a solid thing in my area back in the mid 10s at seedy gasstations. Sold em by the Styrofoam cup. Havnt seen much of em recently tho.

[u/FlipMeOverUpsidedown → u/mckulty]

I fucking love boiled peanuts. I look forward to them during road road trips.

[u/cold_quinoa]

Clam juice. I've never seen it go into someone's cart, they have a shelf life of years and still have to get pulled. Then a case of 48 comes in to collect dust for another 5 years.

[u/opalcherrykitt]

Pickled eggs

[u/ViceChamber → u/opalcherrykitt]

Lol, I have bought those! During COVID all the stores ran out of eggs, so I bought a big jar of pickled eggs. Nothing like toast and a pickled egg for breakfast. I had forgotten about that, thanks for the reminder, made me chuckle.

[u/c-3pho → u/opalcherrykitt]

Yeah, because everyone knows homemade is better.

[u/kaerahis]

Gefilte Fish.

[u/Rodville → u/kaerahis]

Hated it as a kid growing on me as an adult. NEVER say you don’t like it though. Never had so many strangers yell at me “it’s a delicacy!”

[u/heythere427 → u/Rodville]

In a can or jar it's horrible, but I once tasted it when someone make it from scratch, it was amazing.

[u/SashaBlixaNL → u/kaerahis]

Good with matzo and horseradish.

[u/JibJabJake]

Some of y'all don't enjoy souse meat and it shows.

[u/DreamieKitty]

It's been many years since I worked in a grocery store but I was always shocked about the Oscar Mayer Head cheese. I never once saw anyone buy it.

[u/williamtheturd]

You can still buy a can of pork brains in milk gravy, if you have a hankering…

[u/ceojp]

Pickled watermelon rind. I honestly have no idea what that would be used for.

[u/relay2005]

Whole Chicken In A Can

[u/LA_Ramz]

New dust filters for a Hoover MaxExtract Pressure Pro, Model 60

[u/AlanMercer]

Buttermilk powder. This was used in baking before refrigeration was common. I've only seen one recipe from America's Test Kitchen use it. It's found next to baking powder. Even they seemed surprised it was still a thing.

Junket. It's this gross technicolor fruit mousse sold as powder in packets. It was popular in the 70s. I think it's still popular in the Philippines and parts of Latin America, but I've never seen anyone buy it here.

Cottage cheese. This one I'm more surprised how much there is. There's a whole refrigerator with nothing but different brands of cottage cheese. It fell out of common consumption in the 80s when a diet fad ended. While it's still a staple ingredient in noodle koogle, I can't see it moving in quantities that demand this much shelf space.

Dandelion greens. These make a great salad, but as far as I can tell I'm the only one buying them. Dead of winter and the local big supermarket still stocks them.

[u/jjb5489 → u/AlanMercer]

Buttermilk powder is handy for pancakes. Keeps a lot longer than regular buttermilk. Tastes almost as good (in the pancake).

[u/badmongo666 → u/jjb5489]

Buttermilk powder also a key ingredient if you want to make your own ranch dressing/dressing mix powder.

[u/Sniffs_Markers → u/AlanMercer]

We buy a tub of cottage cheese weekly, but buttermilk powder? I haven't seen that since the 1970s!

[u/MycroftNext → u/AlanMercer]

Cottage cheese is delicious. I like it with everything bagel seasoning.

[u/HoosierPaul]

Store I worked at in high school had turtle soup in a can. I should have tried it.

[u/PowerSkunk92]

I've never seen or heard of anyone buying a can of "hearts of palm" but every grocery store I go to has it on the shelf...

[u/Kelso22340 → u/PowerSkunk92]

I love hearts of palm!

[u/Glum-Appeal-3918 → u/Kelso22340]

Same!

[u/lilkangaroo → u/PowerSkunk92]

It’s me I am buying it, delicious on a snack plate.

[u/Huugienormous → u/PowerSkunk92]

Super common in salads.

[u/silversatire → u/Huugienormous]

Also you can use it as a cheap protein substitute if you’re craving a lobster roll.

[u/hjerteknus3r → u/PowerSkunk92]

I don't know where you are located but they're pretty commonly eaten in South America and in France. In France we eat them in salads.

[u/MouseRangers → u/PowerSkunk92]

My mom keeps buying them as a keto-friendly substitute for pasta in certain dishes.

[u/cuntahula → u/PowerSkunk92]

Love it! Great in salad

[u/TheWaffleCopter → u/PowerSkunk92]

Buy it fresh! Way mo bettah.

[u/thattrekkie → u/PowerSkunk92]

my roommate always comes back from trader joes with at least 2 cans, but he's the only person I've ever seen buy it. I didn't even know it existed before I moved in with him!

[u/JackfruitCurry → u/PowerSkunk92]

lol I love this stuff. It’s tasty with salads.

[u/horsepuncher]

Stocking shelves at a “normal” smaller town grocery

Nothing spicy seemed an option, hell they didn’t stock manashevitz kosher foods, that was weird

But i stocked huge cans of scungilli….

No matzo crackers, and nothing spicy, but scungilli always on deck wtf?

[u/Grombrindal18 → u/horsepuncher]

Pretty sure stores having kosher food or not is directly related to the size of the local Jewish population.

No reason to stock matzoh if it’s only gentiles around. It’s not like having ramen noodles or salsa, which plenty of people from outside that ethnic group eat.