When you grocery shop, you’re being manipulated. Sounds a little crazy, right? Grocery stores have tricks they use to get you to stay longer in the store, buy specific products, and even walk in a specific path. Knowing these things can help you become a better, smarter shopper, which will save you time and money. Here are 10 things grocery stores do to trick you when you shop:
- Dairy Dash – Have you ever noticed how hard it is to stop at the grocery store, run in, grab some much needed milk and then get out fast? That’s due to the careful engineering of the store’s floor plan! Dairy products are always in the BACK of the store. Why? Because since dairy items are perishable, and therefore, needed nearly every week in your house. You’ll be heading back to the store frequently for these products.
Forcing you to walk through the store aisles, pass the clearance baskets and stroll by the promotional displays (also strategically placed!) encourages extra purchases. Of course for delivery and loading, this placement makes sense, but don’t be distracted! If you do find yourself needing milk, cheese or yogurt – just keep walking. The layout of every grocery store is carefully calculated to force you to walk through other areas, but when you know this, you can stay focused.
- Sing Along – When you hear your old favorites beaming from the speakers in the grocery store, chances are, your mood changes. Upbeat but slower and popular songs that inspire a happy, nostalgic feeling are chosen intentionally by the store’s marketing professionals. Feeling warm and fuzzy while you’re shopping will make you much more comfortable….and potentially allow you to spend more time in the store.
They also hope that songs will stir up memories of food and products, making you want to buy them. The next time you’re rockin’ out to Backstreet Boys or singing along with your favorite Journey song, remember this tricky tactic! Have fun and enjoy yourself, but don’t let it suck you into impulse buys and comfort food overload.
- The Nose Knows – *Sniiiiiiffffff* Ahhhhh fresh baked bread! Fried chicken! Those wonderful, inviting scents that fill the parking lot and waft throughout the store are sent directly to your nose on purpose. The bakery and deli sections are generally placed at the front of the store, off to one side. Not only do these warm scents make you crave fresh baked bread and crispy fried chicken, they can trick you into believing you are suddenly hungry, as well. Grocery stores are aware that you already know the age old rule, “Never shop when you are hungry.”
This is their tricky way to get your tummy grumbling! Have a snack before you get to the store, so you can enjoy the purposely pumped scents, but avoid the hunger. This will also help you avoid the classic “impulse buys” at the checkout line.Floral departments are also in cahoots with this sneaky shopper stimulus plan. Seeing and smelling bright flowers and bundles of roses will put you in a happy mood – and the stores hope that makes you want to buy more.
- Within Reach – Chances are when you reach to the back of a shelf for fruit snacks, cookies and kid-friendly treats, you’re bending down for them – not standing on your tippy toes. This is because the little munchkins running alongside your cart can actually REACH the items marketed for them. Manufacturers of kid-friendly snacks and sweets with cartoon characters and bright colors actually pay the grocery stores to place their products within the grasp of small children. This makes it easier for your kids to grab them and begin their “I want this!” campaign.
For a stress-free shopping trip, avoid bringing the kids with you or place them in the cart so that their hands can’t grab at products you don’t want.
Eye level merchandise is placed there because the stores want you to buy what you can see easily. A lot of times, these items are NOT a good deal. If it’s not on your list – avoid it. The more expensive brands that are not on sale will be on either side of the aisle, at eye level.
- Turning Corners – The end caps of each aisles are pretty eye-catching, especially when large signs displaying “SALE” items or clearance items are bulging from them. These are placed there for a reason – to distract your attention from your original mission for items on your shopping list. Often times, unadvertised sales will be placed here.
Manufacturers pay high dollar for placement of their products – and end caps are prime real estate in the grocery store. Sometimes they are great – but sometimes they are simply there to convince you that you NEED them. I suggest glancing at the end caps as you stroll by, but don’t be fooled into purchasing unless you know it’s a great bargain!
- Perfect Pairings – This one is super tricky! During late Spring and Summer months, you may notice some convenient end cap or promotional display stands that have generously grouped items together for you. They put Hershey’s Chocolate Bars, Jet-Puffed Marshmallows and HoneyMaid Graham Crackers all in one place. But wait. Could this be a distraction? Could they be forcing me to buy the most expensive brands all together on purpose? YES! That’s exactly what they are doing. The store doesn’t want you to compare prices on the other side of the store, where these items would normally be.
Even if you have a coupon for these grouped items, it doesn’t make it the best deal. Chips and dip or salsa are often paired together, as well – away from the other chips and dips, so that you can’t compare prices. It’s convenient and quick for you to grab them from one place. But it’s also costly. Watch for this, next time you’re in the store! Stick to your list or go bargain hunting for a better deal in the aisles these products are on. A little more walking to save big money never hurts.
- 3’s a Crowd – Alberton’s was considered a “genius grocery store” when they decided to make their customers happy and reduce the checkout line waits. When there are 3 or more people in front of you, they will open a new register. Great, right? Well….yes, but the subliminal selling has already gotten into your brain. Have you noticed how tiny the checkout lines are? On top of that, why would they place tables and displays in the middle of the aisle right by the check stands?You will barely be able to avoid looking at these tables of cupcakes, promotional items, baked goods, rotisserie chicken and reusable grocery bags – because you’ll be maneuvering your cart around them just to keep your place in line. Again, these are there for a reason.
At the cost of irritating the customer that’s tired, grumpy, hungry and ready to leave the store, they do this on purpose. Your eyes wander back over to the display as you wait in line. Your tummy grumbles when it spots the cupcakes. These products are usually over priced, because they are impulse products. Bring a friend along to shop with you. Maybe they can be your distraction from the distractions!
- Cut-Up – How convenient that we can buy bags of salad, all cut-up and ready to eat? Or slices of cheese, each in their own package!? Frozen chicken that’s already been marinated!? Consumer Reports says that pre-cut vegetables and fruits can cost more than FIVE TIMES the amount of buying them whole, and cutting them yourself (source: www.savvysugar.com). We are all busy folks that can appreciate time-saving strategies. But is paying five times the amount really worth it?
Check the price of your store’s bagged salad and calculate the per ounce cost. Now, grab a head of lettuce. Calculate that per ounce cost. You’ll be surprised with the results. The same rule applies for cheese slices, pre-made dips, cut-up fruits and much, much more. Pre-cut veggies and fruits also have a shorter life. When it comes to cost effectiveness and the bottom line…..by the products whole and cut them yourself. You’ll save much more money and make your tummy happy at the same time!
- Misty-Eyed – That pretty produce is crisp looking, shiny and fresh! Even more, it’s being watered with a light mist, too. This is a great little trick that grocery stores love to use. Consumers like new, shiny and pretty foods. It makes us feel better about what we are feeding ourselves. But let’s think logically. If you’re buying this produce to put in your refrigerator, and don’t plan on eating or preparing it right away….that mist it’s been getting is only helping it rot faster.
The mist isn’t there to keep it fresh. It’s there to make you think it’s fresher, crisper, brighter and a better product. If you weren’t going to buy those artichokes, don’t be lured in because they look so pretty! Wait for them to go on sale, and you’ll save your money AND peace of mind.
- Huge Carts – Grocery carts just keep getting bigger and bigger. Since the first grocery cart hit the stores in 1938, they keep allowing for more room, which means more purchases. If you have a smaller grocery list, grab a basket or one of the smaller carts. The large carts are designed to to make larger purchases easier, and make you think you have room left to purchase more.
Knowing these tricks of the trade can keep you from spending more money than you intend. Grocery stores are hoping to make more money, and who can blame them? Be a savvy shopper and stick to your list, and you’ll make it through the store – smiling the entire time
