Here in Ohio, Supermarkets have signs hanging way above the aisles listing what you can find in the isle. I think it would be nice to have an 'index' of the isle on each aisle cap -- for instance, if an aisle has oral hygiene products in it, there might be a line of toothbrushes, dental floss, toothpaste, etc. Just one line of representative products of each thing in the aisle.

Unfortuneately, I don't think supermarkets would go for this idea. The aisle caps are prime real estate, and they don't want to give that up for something they cound't make money off of. Well, maybe instead of devoting a cap to one manufacturer, as is often the case, the supermarket could have manufacturers compete for that coveted index product spot.
-- lawpoop, Dec 17 2005

The end cap "A" is missing.
-- thumbwax, Dec 18 2005


With the exception of the cereal aisle and the cleaning products aisle most supermarkets are so large these days that most of the aisles have 5 to 7 different types of products in the same aisle. There are only a few supermarket chains that actually group their items accordingly. Most others tend to put charcoal and light bulbs on the same aisle with apple sauce and fruit juice.
-- Jscotty, Dec 18 2005


[Jscotty] Five to Seven ? I think those aisle endcaps are large enough to have 30-50 different products.
-- lawpoop, Dec 18 2005


A monitor at eye level embedded in the end cap, a right left up down zoom in out button, and a video or model of the aisle ?
-- popbottle, May 07 2017


Supermarkets aren't interested in helping you find things. The harder you have to look, the likelier it is that you'll spot something else and decide to buy it.

On the other hand, airports have a vested interest in helping you navigate from entrance to gate as directly as possible, so there's clearly a flaw in my reasoning.
-- MaxwellBuchanan, May 07 2017


// helping you navigate from entrance to gate as directly as possible, //

... as long as that's through the shopping area.

Dewey decimal would be excellent; too often, items are placed in categories and with other goods that, while not entirely inappropriate, are markedly non-intuitive.
-- 8th of 7, May 07 2017



random, halfbakery