I have never seen a supermarket "push" generic brands, unless you just mean it's cheaper. Amazon does not attempt to be impartial shelf space, it has "Best Choice" and "Amazon Pick" labels and sorts and ranks search results.

If a grocery store consistently made you dig to the back of a shelf to find a Smuckers product but not it's own, I imagine there would be a similar lawsuit.

Believe it or not, grocery stores charge money for shelf space. Premium shelf space at eye level commands premium prices. The reason Smuckers is highly visible and not buried at the back or on the bottom shelf is because they’ve paid the premium price to be visible.

So of course they’d sue —- for breach of contract. But don’t think for a second that grocery stores are just trying to be fair with the shelf space. They of course don’t charge themselves for placement of their own brands.

You do know supermarkets (or chains) charge brands for their physical position?[0] Items close to eye height get more attention from shoppers, and as majority of people are right-handed, the shelves on the right-hand side[ß] are more likely to be used first.

ß: supermarkets have spent decades optimising the customer travel patterns inside their stores so they know very well which way majority of the traffic flows on any given aisle.

0: https://qz.com/807723/inside-the-secret-backroom-deals-big-b...

>impartial shelf space

Why? Did grocery stores sign some kind of contract to be neutral platforms?

Ikea, Costco, Target all push their own brand. Oftentime, at Walmart, Mainstay will be your only option for some items.

Walmart has it's own brand.

Mainstay, the brand I mentioned, is a Walmart brand.