How do grocery stores get products from so many manufacturers on a regular basis?

Question

Do the manufacturers send the products to the grocery chain or does the chain have to pick them up from the manufacturer?

Answer 1

They rely on warehousing and just-in-time delivery.

The way it works is that the local grocery store tells the warehouse they're running out of Cheerios.

The warehouse adds a few cases of Cheerios to that store's next order.

The warehouse sees that they are running out of Cheerios, too. They call General Mills and order a truckload of Cheerios.

General Mills loads up a truck with Cheerios and sends them to the warehouse.

The warehouse pulls a few cases from the order and adds them to the other stuff (TP, grape juice, canned beans, etc) that they're sending to the grocery store. They put the rest of the Cheerios on the shelves at the warehouse to send to other stores.

The warehouse loads a truck with the grocery store's order, as well as the orders from several other grocery stores.

The driver makes a stop at the grocery store and unloads their order, including the Cheerios. The store puts a dozen or so boxes of Cheerios on the shelf, and keeps the rest of the Cheerios in the back.

And so it goes.

Answer 2

it's called a distribution center. A huge building where all the different manufactures ship their products to, then the grocery store orders what they want from the distribution center, the center gathers the order together and puts it on a truck and carries it to the grocery store just for you.

(me thinks Stuart likes Cherrios)