To be fed up of high shelves in supermarkets?

[PoliteCritic]

I am 5ft 3, so not tiny, but I am increasingly unable to reach lots of things at the supermarket, even in the fresh fruit and veg section. People always say just to ask someone, but I literally have to ask about 5 or 6 people in a normal supermarket shop.
I normally shop at ALDI and M and S, are there any supermarkets that do not stack food so high? I am really so fed up of it.

Me too. I generally find the most senior male employee I can find to ask him to reach things down for me. And while he’s doing that, I ask him whom in that branch has taken the decision that women should have to ask permission to buy whatever it is. They normally look a bit nonplussed 😀

YANBU. 5ft 2 and I hate high shelves.

Meh. 5'3" myself and I ask every time, with a winning smile and a "you look tall". Never had anyone refuse me.

But the shelves are never so bad that I can't reach the front; it's only ever if I need something from the top-back. I have been known to climb onto the bottom rung, though.

I'm 5ft 8 and have this problem, it's fucking ridiculous and shows that they have put zero thought into their customers actually being able to access the products. Especially given the biggest demographic of shoppers in most supermarkets must be women and the average height of women is about 5ft 4.

I don't look for a staff member, I either climb on the shelves, usually only need to stand on the bottom shelf to get enough height, look for one of those stools they leave laying round and nick that or use another product to knock the thing off the shelf that I want.

Yes, a shelf that automatically pushes the goods forward when one item Is taken would be very useful.

@Haruka I can't reach things at the front of many top shelves in ALDI.
And I know I can ask people. But I hate having to shop and ask multiple people for help. I do not care occasionally doing this, but now days I have to ask at minimum 2 people every single shop.

I'm 4,11
And yes I stand on the bottom shelf too!
They shouldn't put things so high if they don't want us doing it

Me too 5 foot 1 here and can never reach the top maybe two shelves 🙄

Try stacking the bloody things. Whose idea was wobbly Primula cheese spread tubes or those tiny GU pots on the top shelf. Fuckers.

4ft 11 here. I’ve given up on buying clothes in some shops as the top racks are far too high.

In some shops like Tesco, if you reach up there is a metal thing to pull and brings the things forward.😀

I'm 5'6 and trying to get the kitchen towel in my corner shop is a game of jenga way above my head. Rarely ends well!

Try working in one! We have to put overstock on the very top of the shelving units. I'm 5'6 and have nearly ended myself several times trying to hoik heavy stuff onto the top shelves. Yes, there are step stools, but never enough, never where you want them and never enough time to go and get one.
But when storage and display space is limited, there's not much to be done. People would complain if all the stock wasn't out on shelves, and if the shop floor was too crowded because all the shelves were low level.

Some clothes shops do it too - smallest sizes on highest rail or top shelf. No doubt looks more visually appealing at first but probably less so once the shorter customers have had to tug clothes off the hanger to look at them

Am thinking of buying a grabber stick of the type used to pick litter.

Whats with putting the womens magazines on higher shelves than the mens?

Yes. And it gives my 6' 3'' DH an inflated ego to have all these normal-sized women, ie my height, smiling and asking him to pass the double cream. Smirky Mr Wonderfulness all the way around the shop because some hapless female had to ask him for help. He wonders why I don't ask nicely rather than shrieking at him not to keep wandering off with the trolley.
Of course, I have to do the smiley asking if he's not with me. I manage to swallow my irritation on those occasions.

I can struggle to reach things off the top shelf unless they are right at the front but the back of the bottom shelf is even worse. I was trying to get a bottle of wine from the back of the shelf in Aldi today. I did get it but I then struggled to get back to my feet.

I hate food stacked on bottom shelf ( nearly on floor) . I can't bend down due to disability.
Perhaps we should go shopping together lol.
I'm 5ft 7.

I completely understand what you are all saying, and at 5'7", I am more than happy to pass an item down from a high shelf if shoppers ask. My annoyance is the opposite. I buy wine in a box and the type that I like is stacked on the bottom shelf, which isn't bad when fully stocked, but when stocks are low, I have to actually get on my hands and knees to reach right to the back of the shelf!! Soo annoying to the point now that I am seriously considering talking to the Manager about it and maybe suggest an alternative!!

I’m 4ft11. I can usually get stuff down by standing on the bottom shelf, but occasionally I need to borrow a fish slice or similar from the kitchen section & use it to pull things forward, or go round the shop & find a stool. If there’s a low plastic barrier along the edge of the shelf, removing that sometimes makes it easier.

I then leave whatever I’ve used where it is, because someone else might find it helpful too - I can’t be the only one who can’t reach without help!

I'm 5'7 and have trouble with high shelves. On the latest occasion, I asked for help but the store assistant couldn't reach the item either. We ended up with me hooking it with my walking stick and the assistant catching it!

Yes I'm 5ft 2 and this is a problem for me.

A couple of years ago they totally refitted our local Morrisons - the only supermarket in the town. They installed freezers with compartment above the chest type part of the freezer. I can't reach a single thing in them. Apart from being high you also have to reach right over the chest part of the freezer. So user unfriendly. Particularly as the area I live in has quite a lot of small people. Not the younger generation but the characteristic of the older people in the area is to be small. And of course there is " shrinkage " with aging.
Well they have lost at least one customer over it because I just travel to Sainsbury's now.

I'm 4ft11 and work in a supermarket and it's absolutely awful. I usually refuse to face up anything up there or put stock out. I do the lower shelves!

I agree OP. Also 5 3 and feeling like I'm shrinking.

I can imagine it's annoying for tall people having to provide a service when they are trying to do their shopping too.