maybe this is just a problem in NYC, where shelf space is scarce, but... you'd think that since Coke Zero has 24% growth in a market that's been shrinking for years, that Coca-Cola would make it a point to keep it stocked.

I'm not saying that it's hard to find (like in the early days), but it's not rare for a store to be sold out of Coke Zero either. I mean, why not just stock a few extra? When's the last time a store was sold out of Coca-Cola or Diet Coke? There are always plenty. But Coke Zero is often picked over and sometimes sold out.

Get your act together Coca-Cola!

My guess is that it is like Pepsi one, people will come down the aisle looking for Pepsi one if it isn't there they go about their business and will get some next time. Next time they come down the aisle and there is Pepsi one on the shelf remembering the last time they buy all or all that they can afford to buy, hence an empty shelf for the next person. In alot of stores if you order extra on items "just in case" when you order the "normal stock" for the next day, the back room people will either 1) cut the product 2) accept the delivery and chew the salespersons ass out for ordering stuff already in the backroom, or 3) refuse the entire order. From a salespersons perspective it is alot easier to explain to your boss why you ran out of something that it is to explain cases or entire orders being cut. Nobody likes getting chewed on by the backroom person either, they tend to not let things go and will remind you about the "case" extra you ordered for at least 2-3 weeks in some effort to show their authority over a "lowly" vendor.

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If what you did yesterday still looks big, you haven't done much today.

Even with the growth, it may be hard for some salespeople to accept that Coke Zero is now a "core brand" and needs to be ordered as such. They'll order plenty of Coke, Sprite, Diet Coke.. but not enough Zero. One of my stores sells a ton of CZ, but the salesperson never seems to order enough to get us through a sale, so I have to cut back on facings on the display, front the shelf, etc.

Even if the store had some in the back room store employees won't fill it, they'll leave it for the vendor to fill.

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The crux of the biscuit is the apostrophe.

In most cases, yes. The store employees will usually just tell the person to get a raincheck (if the item is on sale). But a family owned chain in the area I work in would routinely fill vendor items (not sure if they do it anymore now that they are Shop-Rites), and a few Sundays ago we had a hot 2L ad in one chain, and I didn't make it back there for a second hit fast enough, and the manager had an employee filling the shelf.

thanks for the inside scoop, but...

i still think they could remove a few facings of Coke or Diet Coke (which never run out) and add a few more Coke Zero. I mean, it's not like this only happens once in awhile. It can happen a couple times a week!

The most commons shortage is that they'll have it in, say, 2-Liter, but not in 12-pack... or vice versa.

My "conspiracy theory" is that the execs at Coke don't want Zero eating too heavily into Diet Coke's market share because Diet Coke is so close to overtaking Pepsi as the #2 soda in the US. It's likely to happen this year or next. Last year they were only separated by 0.3 market share.

As an employee of CCE, Any place we have Coca-Cola Classic, we must have Coke Zero. Thats at least what they want in our territory. That is for any package of Coke Zero.

Yeah the product has been pushed for 4 years now. It has ALWAYS been more widely avaliable than Vanilla Coke, Cherry Coke and Coca-Cola with Lime in stores. From the first day in was released Coke zero has been pushed more than all the other new brands in recent years. It is funny how people seem to forget that though.

They could remove a few facings of coke and/or diet coke the same as Pepsi could remove a few facings of Pepsi and /or diet Pepsi, unfortunately that is NOT likely to happen. You would have more luck getting one of the people who are in charge of the shelf planograms to pull out their teeth and give them to you.

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If what you did yesterday still looks big, you haven't done much today.

well, if i had a product that was growing about 25%, while my other products were losing market share, i'd make sure it's always available... and in as many places as possible (i.e. fast food restaurants, restaurants, bars, etc).