How Supermarkets Take Your Money – Beat Them at Their Own Game!

How many times have you gotten out of the store only to find out that you spent much more money than you planned to? And, when you come back home you realize that you also have a bunch of products you don’t need. How did that happen? Here’s how.

Supermarkets and stores use 6 tricks to get your money. They are all very cleverly thought of, but you can be smarter. You can beat supermarkets at their own game. Learn the tricks they use, and use those same tricks against them.

1. Shopping Baskets vs. Shopping Carts

As soon as you step into the store the first thing you come across is the area where shopping baskets and shopping carts are stored. But what is this? There are no baskets, only shopping carts. Coincidence? I don’t think so.

Although it can happen that all shopping baskets are actually taken, this is more often just a trick. Store owners deliberately remove the baskets so that you are forced to take a shopping cart at the entrance. Ok, but you still want to stay disciplined and buy only the things you need. That’s gonna be a tough one.

If you’re not doing your monthly shopping, the shopping cart will look half empty to you, once you get all the things you need. You’ll start asking yourself if those things are enough, and if you need anything else. And here’s where the store wins – you start taking things you don’t need. Prevent this by always taking a shopping list with you, and sticking to it.

2. Fruits and Vegetables

The fruit and vegetable area is in most stores the first thing you come across after you enter. And who could resist all those juicy fruits and nice vegetables, right?

This is a modern association to market places. It makes you to slow down, and all the colors make you feel relaxed. You could buy some fruit, right? They are good and healthy. That’s how you end up with 5 pounds of oranges and 5 pounds of apples even though you don’t like them that much.

3. Aisles and Stands

women supermarket shopping

Most people are right handed. This means that when you come into a store, you will probably carry the shopping basket in your left and grab the products with your right hand. Now look at the aisles.

The aisles in most of the shops are aligned from left to right. A perfect alignment to take more of your money. The space between the aisles is not too small, so you don’t feel crowded, and also not too wide, so that you don’t walk too fast between them. And then in the middle of the aisle, there’s a stand, with “special offers.” This is designed to slow you down so that you pay more attention to the products around.

And now to look at where the products are. Even those who come to the store just for the basic ingredients can be fooled. How? Well, let’s say that basic ingredients are bread, eggs, meat products and dairy products. They are usually aligned in a way so that you have to walk through the whole store to get from one to another. And you’ll see a bunch of things you want, but don’t necessarily need, in between.

4. Right in Your Eyes

The store owners know another very good trick. That is to place the products they would like to sell, right in the height of your eyes, so that you see them first.

This is not just a trick by store owners; this is something companies that sell their products in the stores pay a lot of money for. However, just because you see that product first, it doesn’t mean that it’s the right one to buy. Look both up and down and see what else is there. Don’t be surprised to find out that much cheaper products are on the same aisle just a little bit below your eyes.

5. Light, Music and Sound

Almost every store you come in today has some music running. Pay attention to it, you’ll see that it’s not too loud and not too quiet. It doesn’t annoy you, but it does make you feel cool and cheerful. And that makes you feel willing to spend money.

When it comes to colors, red and yellow play the biggest roles. Next time you’re buying cheese or meat, pay attention to the showcases. You may notice red light in the meat showcase and yellow light in the cheese showcase. Why? Because red and yellow make meat and cheese respectively look better and fresher.

And how about when you pass by the bakery, which is now inside every supermarket, and you smell the fresh bread? Of course you’re going to buy it.

6. Ingredients and Amounts Tricks

smiling women supermarket shopping

This is more a trick of companies that produce our food, rather than the stores who sell it. You must have noticed all the colorful and pretty packages. They are all designed with one intention – to get your attention.

Just because there’s a big juicy strawberry on a package of fruit yogurt, it doesn’t mean that there are actual strawberries inside. Read the labels carefully. Also, pay attention to the amount, especially if you’re buying chips bags and similar stuff. You get a big bag, but 2/3 of it is plain air, and just 1/3 actual chips.

Now you know the tricks – use them to beat supermarkets at their own game. Don’t let them take more of your money, than you actually need to spend. We all have to eat, but we don’t have to spend fortune on food we don’t even need. If you have an extra trick to share, please do so, I would love to hear it.

About the author

Sarah

I’m a free spirit who likes to travel, cook and fly. Licensed paraglider pilot, I spend all my spare time flying. In the meantime, I like to share my recipes and travel experiences.

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