The surprising link between political strategy and health policies
We've all been there: you just needed to pop into the grocery store to pick up one or two things, but you ended up rolling a full cart out of there, a too-long receipt in your hands and a confused look on your face. While the task of shopping at a supermarket might seem simple, there is actually a lot of psychological manipulation happening behind the scenes.
From what you're buying to how much time and money you're spending there, grocery stores have constructed nearly every detail to get you to buy more. And even the most stubborn of us are extremely impressionable when it comes to sales and free samples!
Click through to see the many tricks grocery stores use to influence you unknowingly, and become a more mindful consumer (and a better-saving one) right now.
The reason things like bread and eggs are all the way at the back of grocery stores is because they want you to pass by as much temptation as possible on your way to the basic things you needed.
There have been several studies on how music can influence you into spending more. Studies have shown that shops who play slow-tempo music sell more than shops that play up-tempo music, because customers feel less rushed.
Frustrated that you suddenly can’t find the beans where you always found the beans? Many shops will regularly rotate their stock so that customers are both confronted with new items they wouldn’t have otherwise considered, and forced to explore the rest of the store.
The most expensive products are usually placed at eye level—a privilege brands pay for—because you are more likely to see those products than the less profitable brands by your feet.
The waiting line is prime time to tempt you into impulse-purchasing small sweets and treats.
Have you noticed that the cart sizes are enormous these days? That’s because people have a psychological tendency to want to fill empty spaces.
The bottom shelves have all the goodies that children will want to reach for, like sweets or toys, because stores know the power of a child's whining!
Most sales involving extra large or multi-buy packages aren’t actually a deal and instead convince you to buy way too much of something you didn’t need. Usually you are doing the supermarket a favor by taking their overstocked items.
Usually red and yellow letters attract our attention because they announce sales or promotions. Green typically lures the environmentally-conscious consumers, and retailers love blue because research shows that it signifies dependability and can thus increase customer loyalty.
Many stores have automatic misting devices that spray a light mist on produce to give them the appearance of freshness. Unfortunately, this can reduce the quality of the vegetables and make the produce heavier and thus more expensive.
When it comes to comparing the prices of packaged goods versus loose items, you’ll often find packaged products priced per item, while the price for loose products will be displayed in weight. Same goes for bulk items versus their single pricing.
Research has shown that free samples usually result in more spending. The customer might feel obliged to buy it after trying it.
Samples are also meant to stir hunger and open the junk food appetite. Those who sample junk food spend an average of 60% more on other things like cookies, chips, and candy at the grocery store than those who don't take samples, says Brian Wansink, former director of the Food & Brand Lab at Cornell University.
Shops will often be laid out so that you encounter expensive items first, then cheapest near the end. This is because once you’ve already agreed to buy something expensive, the natural comparison that happens in our brains makes the cheaper stuff seem like an absolute steal.
There are almost never products with a round price figure, and that's because it's a marketing tactic used to trick you into thinking the product is cheaper than it really is.
Loyalty cards are a way for the customer to accumulate points and eventually save money in the future, but in addition to being an incentive to spend more, these cards are also a way for the supermarket to track your consumer habits and find out ways to get you to spend more in the future.
The products that are placed on the front are typically the ones that have lower shelf life, which is certainly good to prevent more food waste, but also ensures you'll be back sooner to top up.
Having things like the smell of freshly baked bread can encourage you to buy more. But don’t be fooled: the smell of baked bread doesn’t mean the bread you’re getting is fresh! Most arrive in the form of frozen dough or are partially baked in a factory and just need a few minutes in the oven.
Bread also often comes in paper bags so that the loaves and buns get harder faster and you have to go back to buy more.
While keeping the sun and heat out is part of the reason, another huge part is that stores want to keep you inside longer by creating an environment where the outside world—your kids waiting, the sun going down, etc.—doesn’t exist.
Grocery stores know that you will automatically look at products on higher shelves as if they are better than the ones on lower shelves, and they manipulate that hierarchy as they see fit.
Some of the meat in store has a note that indicates that a salt-and-water solution has been added, usually to make it taste better. But that also means that the slab of meat now has the added weight of that water and will cause you to pay more for less meat.
Products are placed in strategic positions, putting commonly paired items close by, so that you buy more than you intended. You'll often find tortilla chips together with salsa, for example.
These days especially, consumers are willing to spend more if they see that a product is locally sourced.
Some customers tend to shop only for what they want (a list is handy), and they walk down an aisle to grab it then turn around again—called the “boomerang effect.” Because stores know this, they place popular items and brands in the middle of aisles so that no matter which direction the customers come from, they have to walk the furthest to reach them.
Seeing signs with a "limited time offer" statement will tempt you to stock up on the deal, and that's the point. But in reality the deal is usually on for months or until the item's stock is finished.
Putting fruit and vegetables at the front encourages people to pick up the healthy foods first so that they feel better about picking up less healthy things once they move deeper into the store.
Consumers are used to finding special promotions piled high on “end caps” at the ends of aisles, but a lot of the time the products aren’t actually on sale.
Supermarket checkout lanes are getting narrower because stores know it'll be more difficult to put items back once you're in line.
Sources: (Syncrat) (Reader’s Digest) (AARP) (Wall St. Watchdog) (Eat This, Not That!)
See also: 30 ways to help you shop smarter
Ways grocery stores trick you into spending more
The clever psychology behind why you bought more than you intended to (again)
LIFESTYLE Shopping
We've all been there: you just needed to pop into the grocery store to pick up one or two things, but you ended up rolling a full cart out of there, a too-long receipt in your hands and a confused look on your face. While the task of shopping at a supermarket might seem simple, there is actually a lot of psychological manipulation happening behind the scenes.
From what you're buying to how much time and money you're spending there, grocery stores have constructed nearly every detail to get you to buy more. And even the most stubborn of us are extremely impressionable when it comes to sales and free samples!
Click through to see the many tricks grocery stores use to influence you unknowingly, and become a more mindful consumer (and a better-saving one) right now.