Food is a necessity. We need food to survive and the vast majority of us head to grocery stores to get it. You shop for groceries to get your ingredients then head home to prepare a meal. Therefore, grocery stores provide a much needed service. We know they really do, but they also need and want to make money. This is an important aspect for any business. So they use well-researched tactics to separate you from as much of your money as possible. They want to convince you that you’re getting a bargain at their store and they want to lure you into picking up as many items as possible.
When you walk into the store you see pretty displays everywhere and nice music is playing. You’ve probably had the experience where you’ve seen a display and thought “oh I should pick that up I can use it for …” or “cool, I didn’t know they made those, I should pick one up.” Every bit of your experience in the store is a carefully calculated and effective method to get your money. Just check out the statistics in the infographic provided.
During a trip to the grocery store you’re 54% likely to pick up unintended items. You’re 61% likely to pick up an extra item at one of the end-of-the-aisle displays. Who knew they were so successful. While waiting to check out, standing by the racks overflowing with magazines and candy, you’ll pick up extra items 64% of the time! I will say I’m not really surprised by that one. We’ve all picked up a magazine to flip through as we wait or decided we really did want a snickers or a pack of gum. Their methods are definitely working and causing you to pick up extra items and therefore spend more money than intended.
- Make sure to eat before heading to the grocery store.
- Do your best to ignore the displays.
- Look, but don’t touch when standing in line to check out.
- Resist the advertisement and tempting displays and save money at the grocery store.
What causes you to pick up extra items when you’re grocery shopping? Leave a comment, I’m interested to know.
