Pretty Darn Quick

Pretty Darn Quick (PDQ) is an American retail acronym that stands for “Pretty Darn Quick.” The term was originally popularized in Walmart stores as the early name for what is now known as Retail-Ready Packaging (RRP) or Shelf-Ready Packaging (SRP). The primary goal of PDQ was to reduce the time spent stocking shelves at the store level. PDQs are filled with a supplier’s merchandise and designed to be taken out of a shipping box and placed directly onto a store shelf or display. This allows store employees to stock multiple items in one quick motion, as opposed to handling each item individually. This significantly improves the speed and efficiency of the stocking process. PDQ vs. RRP   As with all things in retail, systems and processes evolve to make the shopping experience better for everyone. Today’s Retail-Ready Packaging is a significant improvement over the early PDQs. The modern concept of RRP benefits not only the employee stocking the shelf, but the customer as well. Early PDQs were very simple in their design and function. The focus of the supplier was entirely on making the unit easy for the store employee to handle. A PDQ could be a basic perforated box with a “knock-out” panel full of product, often without any other information or graphics. While the box itself might have been orange for Halloween candy or green for holiday decorations, it lacked any meaningful branding or messaging. Why PDQs Had to Evolve   While those early PDQs served a valuable purpose by making stocking faster, today’s Retail-Ready Packaging considers much more. Modern RRP includes graphics that benefit both the shopper and the store employee. Supplier logos, icons, and other graphics on today’s RRP make it easier to locate a product in a store’s crowded backroom. This ensures items can be…