The article discusses the issue of managing the sales space in small retail stores. This is one of the issues dealt with by merchandising - commercial marketing. A small retail outlets located on the outskirts of the Warsaw agglomeration were analyzed. The case study method was used in the research. The store layout and its changes in the field of implementation of the arena principle, self-service and service area, fruit and vegetables exposure, customer traffic, cash register location, hot and cold zones, the area of entry to the store, the location of refrigerators with various items were evaluated. It was found that an efficient layout of the shopping space in a small store is a difficult, compromise task. Due to the limited space and features of the building where the premises are located, the use of merchandising solutions was not always possible.