Walmart Down, Target Up

I need new underpants.  The ones I have are oldish and worn and the elastic has done it's job holding them up on my waist and keeping them from giving me wedgies (which I hate) but they're tired and they want to retire.  Or so I thought I heard them tell me the other day. 

There has been an exhaustive searching for new underpants.  It involved going to Walmart and going to the underpants aisle and putting some in the basket and checking out.  My usual "every couple of years underpants restocking" trips.  I got home, tried on a new pair and was immediately greeted with comfort and colorful style in the boring cotton underpants I'd selected.  I didn't open the other packets because I was waiting to see how the first package fared on me.

Later in the day my husband said he could see the underpants visible from the back of my jeans.  This wasn't a goal I had, nor was it a feature I wanted in my new underpants.  So I had to do a return trip to Walmart and come up with an alternative style or brand.  Speaking of brand, I can't remember if it's Haynes or Fruit of the Loom that I usually get and the options are so similar that I honestly don't know.  By the time I get to the re-purchasing phase, the little stamped-in labels are all but illegible. 

So back to the store and I decided to just do a return and try Target just down the road to see if there were any other options.  When I got to Target I was not overly surprised to see mostly the exact same options, including the patterns.  But, what was interesting was how the row was organized.  

At Walmart, the largest size is on the top row.  Below the top size is the same style and brand in the next size smaller down, continuing in this trend until the smallest size, which is on the bottom row.  Target, however does the exact opposite.  The smallest size is at the top and the largest size is at the bottom. 

What does this mean?  Does Target have more tall, thin customers than Walmart or does Walmart have more short, heavier customers?  Huge chains rarely do something without research behind it.  The top two rows are more in line with eye-level.  Is it to differentiate themselves or is it based on market research about their customer base and some esoteric factor that gleans them more underpants sales?  

At any rate, I found some more underpants and I went home wondering about product placement.  My brother-in-law is an expert at this, perhaps he'll know why.

The Big Boy Update:  No, it's my birthday.  While my daughter still doesn't fully get that it's her birthday, my son thinks all birthdays are his.  He expects it in fact.    

The Tiny Girl Chronicles:  Birthday celebration at school.  She chewed her hand, which is unusual, due to the surprise of being the center of attention in her class for a birthday celebration today.  Daddy and I came in and everyone enjoyed blueberry mini-muffins my daughter made during class.  We showed three pictures of her and her family members from when she was young and then everyone sang the birthday song.  She was much happier once the "celebration" portion of the morning was over and she could show us the playground and what she does there.