I've done this before. Try to find a locally owned grocery store, or a regional chain. It's much harder to get permission for things like this with a large national corporation. Go in, speak to the manager and be completely up front about everything you want to do. If you can show some story boards to help illustrate exactly what you need, that might help too. If you just need to close down one aisle, they may let you come in during a slow part of the day. If you're going in after hours, offer to pay the hourly rate for whatever staff member has to hang around to keep the lights on for you. Always over-estimate the time you need. It's much better to ask for 4 hours and be done in 2 than to ask for 2 hours and be done in 4. The place I shot let us have one aisle at 10:00 pm. We got two quick shots and were out by midnight.

i say, just do it. when people come and start 2 ask questions, leg-it as fast as you can.

work even better if you can find a way to hide the cameras