Reiwa Super Story ~The Misordered Star⭐️A-ko Edition~ Episode 3: Canned Mandarins, Misorders, and the Holy Night

Fresh Mart Hazama is a chain supermarket that is over 30 years old.
The shelves rattle, and the refrigerated cases make clattering sounds.
Every morning is a thrill, wondering if today is the day they finally break.
But our store has regular customers who visit every single day.
Behind the scenes, there is a quiet, chaotic drama unfolding again today.

—

■ The canned mandarins have arrived.

One morning, the cage cart felt unusually heavy.
Among the usual ordered products, there was a row of strangely uniform packages.

“...Aren't these all canned mandarins?”

There were 11 cases, each containing 24 cans. A total of 264 cans.
It wasn't that my fingers were numb from the cold...

A-ko, who is in charge of ordering, looked like she was about to collapse to her knees the moment she saw them.

“...But I only pressed '1'...”

The assistant manager appeared.
He glanced at the cage cart and muttered,
“...Sell them...”

A-ko: “My fingers... my fingers just...”

By now, no one even asks for the reason.

—

■ How to sell them. No, how to make them look appealing.

Christmas is just around the corner. Chicken and cakes are already fighting for space.

Me: “Should we just make a 'canned goods tree' display and stack them all up?”

A-ko: “That wouldn't really be a food section anymore, would it?”

Both: “Hahahaha.”

(The manager's gaze stings. Pretending not to notice.)

Still, this is no time to be laughing.
We have no choice but to find a way to make them look like they'll sell.

While bewildered by the sudden 'canned goods rush,' I didn't want to give up.
In fact, I wanted to make this massive amount of canned mandarins look 'as if they were needed all along.'!

Even though it was freezing cold outside, we were quietly burning with determination.

So, the plan we came up with was—

'Wreath-shaped Mandarin Jelly'

・Shape the mandarin jelly into a donut ring
・Create a Christmas feel with toppings and arrangements
・Display as a sample on the sales floor
・Clearly convey the recipe and concept with POP signage

■ Surround with related products.

This time, we took it a step further.

Gelatin needed for the jelly.
Furthermore, we placed related products around it, such as retort-pouch foods, juices, and snacks, which are perfect for Christmas gatherings.

As if it had been planned from the very beginning

Pushing the overwhelming volume with a canned goods pyramid, how can we catch the eyes of customers who are just passing by?

“I have a feeling... this will sell.”
—Our intuition was right.

■ Canned mandarins, disappearing.

“The sample jelly is just too cute!”
“I’m back to buy more because I’m going to make it again!”
“My grandkids were so happy when I made this into jelly!”
“The recipe was so simple, it actually surprised me.”
“I’m planning to give some to my neighbors, so I came to buy a few more!”

Cans were being picked up one after another.

The “misorder” had somehow transformed into a “hit product.”

The assistant manager muttered.

“...I guess the sales floor really is alive.”

A-ko said.

“...Something always happens at Christmas, doesn't it...”

—

■ What we realized: If you make it stand out, it sells.

With this success, we understood clearly.
A sales floor that immediately communicates “what we want to sell.”
A display where you can tell at a glance that the product is the star.

Having the POP, the sample, and the related products work together to captivate.

That this is the “ironclad rule” for moving products on the sales floor.

The canned mandarins might have been a misorder.
But we were able to turn them into“an inevitable hit.”

This method definitely works.
That was the moment we became convinced of it.

—

■ ...However, the storm does not pass.

Mid-January.
Now, Setsubun is approaching.
What arrived was—
Dried sardines. Dried sardines. Dried sardines.
Yes, once again, a misorder.
A-ko: “My fingers... again...?”
We are being tested once more...

⸻
▷Next Episode Preview
Episode 4: "An Ogre's Prank!? The Counterattack of the Dried Sardines"

A massive shipment of dried sardines arrives.
The sales floor turns into a sea of dried goods.
Will we be able to successfully drive away the ogre?
Coming soon!

✏️Editor's Note

The terminology, POP displays, and merchandising methods in this article are all based on actual events on the sales floor.
While based on facts, the characters, organizations, and store names appearing here are all fictional.
They have no relation to any real-life entities.

I hope this behind-the-scenes look at a supermarket serves as a reference for someone, somewhere.
Comments, likes, and follows are a great encouragement 🍁