Going to the grocery store isn’t something that most people enjoy. The lines are WAY too long, the shelves are empty, and it’s just an overall bad experience (thank goodness for Instacart, right?).
But that’s not all!
If you didn’t know, grocery stores employ some REALLY sneaky strategies in order to get you to buy more of their products.
Let’s look through some of these tricks and see if you even knew you were getting played!
1. Spraying produce with water
A dewy lettuce leaf is WAY more attractive than a dry one.
They don’t spray veggies to make them last longer, they do it to make them more appealing – like beer goggles for veggies!
2. The road MOST traveled
Have you ever noticed that if you want the essentials like meat, produce, and milk, you need to walk THROUGH the junk food?
It’s to allow their marketing to work its magic on you. Can’t have you walking out without a little snack, right?
3. Hiding cost hiking
One of the tactics stores will use is reducing the cost of staple items to make it feel like you aren’t paying a lot overall for other items.
Bread, eggs, and milk are all priced cheaply so you will pay more for extras like chips and ice cream.
4. Smell to sell
If you smell wonderful and aromatic fresh baked bread, you better believe you are going to want some bread!
They cook things in their deli and bakery out in the open to make sure you smell it to make sure they sell it.
5. High-margin items near the front
You are more likely to buy higher-margin items (more expensive items) when your cart is empty and you are still happy.
Near the end of your shopping trip, when your cart is full and you are ready to go home, you are less likely to splurge.
6. Larger shopping carts
When you increase someone’s plate, they are more likely to eat more food. Apparently, the same is true with shopping carts!
In experiments, testers who had shopping carts that were doubled in size bought about 40% more groceries.
7. Sugary samples
When you eat something sugary it spikes your blood sugar and causes a quick crash. That crash makes you want to eat more, usually with a craving for salts and fat.
For a grocery store, you being hungry means money in their pocket, especially when you buy cheap processed foods.
8. Fresh produce is near the front
We seem to like the visual appeal of fresh fruits and vegetables. Stores know this and place the produce near the front so it’s one of the first things we see when we walk in.
Seeing bright fruits and veggies gets us in a happier mood for shopping!
9. Bookending tactics
Known as an “end-cap,” these end-of-aisle displays usually make customers think that the products stand out or are special.
As a result, brands pay extra for end caps locations across the store, helping the grocers with profits.
10. Mini multi-packs
The mini packs usually make us feel like we aren’t splurging too much when we buy the product.
Since there’s less product, however, we have to go back to buy more of it. Brands end up selling way more this way.
11. Kid-targeted products at eye level
Kids can’t really see to the top shelves and advertisers know this. As a result, they put their products targeted at kids lower on the shelves.
A parent can only take so much nagging until they finally give in and buy something for their kid!
12. Bulk and generic brands on low shelves
As a general rule, the more expensive brands and smaller portions are higher up on shelves. The bulk items (rice, grains, sugar, flour) and generic brands are placed lower because they have lower margins.
13. Narrow checkouts
When you are in a narrow checkout, you are more exposed to products on either side. Things like candy bars and snacks are totally surrounding you. Additionally, you aren’t likely to put something back because of the danger of bumping into someone.
14. Sale stickers
The fine print on stickers is important. Often it will be based on weight, not quantity. As a result, a dollar off a pound of spinach is negligible. It’s usually worth it to check the details.
15. Area-specific pricing
Stores will often change pricing according to a zip code’s affluence.
Items in higher-income areas are more likely to cost more, but they also have higher-end stores. If you have a choice between two areas, it can save you a few bucks to avoid the affluent areas.
Grocery stores know their business! As customers, we have to be rather vigilant if we don’t want to fall prey to the psychological tricks they use on us.
Still, sometimes it’s nice to walk into an aisle filled with color and advertisements and just let them speak to you!
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