Have you ever gone to the supermarket to buy one thing and have come back home with a bag full of groceries? It’s happened to the best of us, my friends. The truth is that supermarkets are thought out to the last detail. The lighting, the way you go, the product orientation, position and so on. So what can we do to fight against decades of market research and protect our wallets? Here are 4 ways on how to do it with a special bonus tip at the end of the article.
1. Do not take a cart Trick number one is – do not take the shopping cart. If you’re planning to buy a lot consider getting only the small cart. Research shows that when a supermarket doubled the size of their carts, the sales increased by 40%. And do you know why?
We don’t like the glass half-full nor half-empty. We like the glass full. It’s basic psychology that when we have an empty cart in front of us we want to fill it up. But I guarantee you that when you are only able to carry a couple of things in your hands you’ll think twice about whether you really need that second tub of Ben&Jerry’s .
2. Buying bigger packages does not always guarantee the best price The bigger the package the better the price, right? Well, it turns out that is not always true. Buying the bigger package does not always guarantee the best price. That is why it’s worth checking the price per 100g information you get with every price tag. It’s not always cheaper to buy more. In addition, we actually use more of the product when we buy bigger packages. So ask yourself: do I really need the jumbo sized bag of marshmallows?
3. Don’t go with the flow! With so much choice nowadays, we are not going to spend our time or money in places, where we do not feel good. That is exactly the reason why at the entrance of a supermarket, we are often welcomed by flowers, fruits and vegetables. This creates a pleasant environment and makes us feel comfortable. Remember a happy customer is a customer who is willing to spend. In addition, humans actually prefer to walk anticlockwise and it just so happens, that the most stores are set up for us to walk anticlockwise too. This makes our shopping experience even more pleasant. And once again happy people buy more.
4. Ditch the eye level When we walk through the store the number of products staring right back at us can easily lead to sensory overload. So, as we shop, we focus on what we want to buy and the way we need to go. All the rest gets blurred out. That's why we are most likely to notice products, which are on the eye-level.
If you check out your local supermarkets, the branded products will most likely be on the eye-level shelf. The low cost products are either on the bottom or on the top shelves. They are harder for you to reach and therefore are not placed on the most prominent of positions. Products with the highest margins fight for the eye-level shelves because that’s where our sight automatically goes. What we see, we buy. So simply look around, the best offers will not be staring you in the face.
And a couple of bonus tips just because you are awesome! Write a shopping list & don’t go shopping hungry. The shopping list will help to keep your mind in check, so that you don't go crazy with the overspending. In addition, when we’re hungry our will power is weaker and we are more likely to buy things impulsively. So before you go shopping, please don’t forget to feed you will power.
Sources:
http://mindlesseating.org/pdf/PackageSize-JM_1996.pdf
http://www.acrwebsite.org/volumes/eacr/vol8/eacr_vol8_153.pdf
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/3634141/They-have-ways-of-making-you-spend.html
http://ageconsearch.umn.edu/bitstream/22048/1/sp03go02.pdf
https://consumerist.com/2014/02/07/do-super-sized-shopping-carts-equal-super-sized-bills/