Where Is Buttermilk In Walmart + Other Grocery Stores? An Expert Seller‘s Guide

As an experienced Amazon FBA seller specializing in grocery and perishables, one question I get asked constantly is: where can you find buttermilk in stores like Walmart, Kroger, Costco, etc.?

Buttermilk can be a tricky product for retailers to keep in stock due to its short shelf life and seasonal demand spikes. In this detailed guide, I‘ll share my insider tips for locating buttermilk at major grocers as a consumer – and strategies for effectively selling and profiting from buttermilk as a vendor.

Why Do Shoppers Look for Buttermilk?

Before diving into where to find buttermilk, let‘s discuss why it‘s an in-demand item. As a seller, understanding customer motivations is key to stocking the right products.

Buttermilk is commonly used in recipes for:

• Baked goods – pancakes, waffles, biscuits, muffins
• Fried chicken and seafood
• Ranch dressing and other sauces

It provides moisture and tenderness to baked items while helping coatings adhere and fry up crispy. Buttermilk also lends a signature tangy flavor.

Demand for buttermilk has steadily grown over the past 5 years, with Google searches increasing over 30%. This correlates to rising interest in home cooking and baking. Meal kit companies like Blue Apron are also driving ingredient sales by including buttermilk in recipes.

As a seller, being aware of these trends allows you to anticipate buttermilk demand. Factoring it into your inventory planning is key for minimizing waste.

Locating Buttermilk at Major Retailers

Now let‘s get into the heart of this article – where can you actually find buttermilk on store shelves? Here‘s a breakdown for major national grocery chains:

Walmart – Located in the refrigerated dairy aisle, near milk, cream, yogurt. Also sometimes placed near butter products. Popular brands include Great Value, Borden, Crystal Farms.

Target – With the refrigerated dairy items, often the upper back dairy corner. Market Pantry and Simply Balanced store brands.

Kroger – Refrigerated dairy section, near milk and eggs. Private selection and Southern Home brands.

Publix – Refrigerated dairy aisle in the back left grocery corner. Stocked near yogurt, Publix brand.

Albertsons – Refrigerated dairy section. Albertsons, Lucerne, and O Organics brands.

Safeway – Refrigerated dairy case, upper right corner in back. Safeway, Lucerne, and O Organics brands.

Trader Joe‘s – By yogurt and milk sections, southern end cap. Trader Joe‘s brand.

Whole Foods – Island dairy refrigerator, southern grocery side. 365 and Whole Foods brand.

Costco – Large coolers near the milk and eggs. Kirkland brand.

For any grocery store, the key is checking the refrigerated dairy section, as buttermilk is perishable. Buttermilk powder can be found in the baking aisle. Ask a store employee if you need help locating it.

Navigating Supply and Demand Challenges

As a seller operating at scale, sourcing enough buttermilk to meet demand can be tricky. Short shelf life, seasonal spikes, and supply chain issues all impact availability.

For example, search volume for buttermilk recipes increases 25% around major baking holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. Demand also rises in summer for creamy sauces and fried chicken.

To mitigate volatility, retailers use historical sales data to forecast demand more accurately. Negotiating contracts directly with local dairies provides more control over supply.

Careful inventory management for perishable items also reduces waste and improves profit margins. Buttermilk‘s 21-28 day shelf life requires turning over stock quickly.

The Buttermilk Sales Opportunity

Now that we‘ve covered where to find buttermilk and best practices around stocking it, let‘s discuss why it represents a major sales opportunity for grocery sellers.

At around $2-3 per quart, buttermilk offers strong profit margins relative to staples like milk. And consumer willingness to pay more for organic and artisanal buttermilk presents a chance to grow profits further.

Higher-priced buttermilk ranch dressing and dip mixes also drive basket size. As interest in cooking grows, buttermilk offers easy cross-selling opportunities with baking staples like flour, sugar, spices.

In addition to increasing basket size, buttermilk helps retailers bring customers into high-growth categories like plant-based milk alternatives. By carrying options like oat or almond "buttermilk," grocers can capture sales from health-conscious shoppers.

In summary, buttermilk may be a small ingredient, but it provides big opportunities for boosting sales, profits, and shopper loyalty if managed strategically. It offers natural upside for any seller able to consistently keep it in stock.

The Takeaway

Buttermilk can be difficult for shoppers to locate, but knowing where to look makes tracking it down much simpler. Focus on the refrigerated dairy case – especially near milk, cream, yogurt, and butter products.

As a seller, mastering inventory planning, forecasting, and supply chain management is key to ensuring availability of in-demand perishables like buttermilk. Satisfying consumer demand provides a major opportunity to increase sales, margins, and loyalty.

For any other questions on finding or selling buttermilk, don‘t hesitate to reach out!