FREE TOOL · AUTHORIZATION COST
Slotting fee calculator
Slotting is the cash a retailer charges to put a new product on the shelf, and it is the most under-budgeted line in first-time retail expansion plans. This tool turns the published ranges from our slotting fees guide into your number: SKUs, times doors, times the per-store fee - next to the free-fill alternative the natural channel runs on.
YOUR AUTHORIZATION
GUIDE RANGE: $250-$1,000 PER SKU PER STORE. COLD SETS RUN HIGHER: FROZEN/REFRIGERATED AT LARGE CHAINS IS $20,000-$100,000 PER SKU CHAIN-WIDE.
ONE FREE CASE PER NEW DOOR IS THE CONVENTION; REQUESTS BEYOND THAT ARE NEGOTIABLE.
SLOTTING IS CASH - TYPICALLY INVOICED OR DEDUCTED AT AUTHORIZATION. A FREE FILL IS PRODUCT COST: CASES YOU PAID COGS ON, NOT A CHECK.
Method: conventional slotting = SKUs × stores × per-store fee, computed at your low and high fee; free fill = SKUs × stores × free cases per door × case cost. The $250-$1,000 per-store range, the ~$5,000-$75,000 per-SKU chain-wide band, the cold-set premium, and the one-free-case convention all come from the slotting fees guide. Estimates, not advice - actual fees are negotiated per retailer and category reset.
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Frequently asked questions
How much are slotting fees per store and per chain?
In conventional grocery, typically $250-$1,000 per SKU per store, compounding to roughly $5,000-$75,000 per SKU for a chain-wide authorization. The FTC's study found $2,300-$21,800 per item per retailer depending on category. Frozen and refrigerated run higher: $20,000-$100,000 per SKU at large chains.
Which retailers charge no slotting fees?
Walmart, Costco, BJ's, Whole Foods, and most natural-channel retailers charge little or no cash slotting - they take free fills, promo commitments, or lower unit pricing instead. The fee disappears; the cost moves.
Slotting vs free fill - which is better for an emerging brand?
They are different currencies. Slotting is cash, typically invoiced or deducted at authorization. A free fill is product - the natural channel's convention is one free case per new door. For an emerging brand the free-fill route ties entry cost to real distribution and costs product rather than up-front cash; the common playbook is to start where slotting is small, build velocity proof, and cap free-fill requests at the one-case convention.
This is the sticker price. CPG Canary prices YOUR launch.
The full analysis computes the cash your authorization actually needs inside your complete channel waterfall - slotting, free fills, trade programs, and margin per retailer - then stress-tests the payback against category velocity benchmarks, so you know whether the doors pay for themselves before you sign for them.
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