There are quite a lot of ways grocery stores trick you into spending more money when you go shopping. The best way to save money when you go grocery shopping is by making a list of things that you need to buy and sticking with it. You’d be surprised to find out but actually every part of a supermarket, from the parking lot to the checkout counter, is designed to make you spend more money and buy more things than you actually need. If you often walk out of a supermarket with all kinds of new purchases and you wonder why you bought them in the first place, just pay attention to these next ways grocery stores trick you into spending more money:
One of the sneakiest ways grocery stores trick you into spending more money is by placing at your disposal some really big shopping carts. Those carts are just asking to be filled up and a lot of individuals are more than willing to oblige without even noticing it. If you have to buy just a few items, try to avoid the cart and simply carry those items in your hands.
I don’t know if you noticed, but all grocery stores use appropriate music that appeals to their demographic. Studies show that “the right kind of music can make a person buy up to 29 percent more than planned.” Just try to pay attention to the music you hear in the store and remember that it was chosen to encourage you to spend more.
Most supermarkets hide damaged food, like bruised strawberries or torn slices of cheese, by burying them in packages and selling them. This way, you discover the blemishes when you get home and most of the time, there’s nothing you can do to get a refund, since you’re already tired and you’re not really in the mood to get back to the store and ask for your money back.
If you pay enough attention, you’ll notice that most supermarkets group items that go together. You may notice that foods that go together are displayed side by side, even though they would be typically stored in different parts of the supermarket. For example, an organic salsa can be placed next to tortilla chips instead of on the condiment aisle.
Supermarkets often place the priciest items at eye level because you’re more apt to notice the items right in front of you when you go shopping and if you’re in a hurry, you might not tend to look for something else at a more reasonable price. The next time you go grocery shopping, just look on the bottom and top shelves as well and you’ll see that you will save quite a lot of money.
Another thing most supermarkets use to trick their customers into spending more money is the fact that they reorganize their stores periodically. This way, if you are looking for a specific item, you’ll be forced to look through other sections as well and you might see something that you want or think you want, a thing you didn’t plan to buy but since you’re there, you’ll do it anyway.
Most supermarkets place certain departments like floral or fresh baked goods near the front door so that their customers will encounter them when their carts are empty and when they are hungry. Another reason why they do that is because the smell activates your salivary glands and makes you more likely to make impulse purchases.
There are a lot of ways in which a supermarket can trick you into spending more money. I just mentioned a few in this little article but I’m sure there are many more I forgot about. Do you know any other ways grocery stores can trick you into spending more? Do tell!
Sources: money.howstuffworks.com, businessinsider.com, canadianliving.com