Nine supermarket strategies designed to make you spend more
Nine supermarket strategies designed to make you spend more (Consumer savings expert Andrea Woroch(Andrea Woroch is a nationally recognized consumer and money-saving expert for Kinoli Inc.))
Supermarkets lure us in with coupons and sales, but once we're inside...POW! They hit us with the old one-two for a checkout aisle K.O. Ultimately, it pays to keep your mental dukes up when you're in the ring, but first, you have to know the rules.
Here are nine tricks supermarkets like to spring on consumers to encourage overspending, along with ways you can overcome them.
1. Something smells really good.
The bombardment starts as soon as the front door swings open. Those mouth-watering smells emanate from the nearby bakery or deli, enticing you to buy the more expensive prepared foods. A grocer in New York City even pipes artificial smells into it's facility to induce shoppers to buy more.
The rule, as you've often heard, is to never shop on an empty stomach.
2. Distance makes the heart grow fonder.
Ever notice how the things you need most frequently are the furthest away from the door? That's intentional; supermarkets guide you through aisles of the most attractive foods, hoping you'll give in to impulse buys.
If you only need one item, it's actually cheaper in the long run to shop at a small market where you'll be less tempted to buy unneeded items.
3. End caps aren't your friend.
End caps are the shelving units at the end of each aisle, where supermarkets place "sale" items that aren't always that cheap. They're counting on our preference to avoid heading down an aisle, so we'll just grab an end-cap item that seems reasonably priced.
Don't give in; wait until you can comparison-shop in the appropriate aisle. Better yet, find grocery coupons on your smartphone from sites like CouponSherpa.com, and see if the product on your list is available at a discount.
4. Bend and stretch your way to better prices.
Manufacturers pay big bucks for prime real estate, usually
Supermarkets lure us in with coupons and sales, but once we're inside...POW! They hit us with the old one-two for a checkout aisle K.O. Ultimately, it pays to keep your mental dukes up when you're in the ring, but first, you have to know the rules.
Here are nine tricks supermarkets like to spring on consumers to encourage overspending, along with ways you can overcome them.
1. Something smells really good.
The bombardment starts as soon as the front door swings open. Those mouth-watering smells emanate from the nearby bakery or deli, enticing you to buy the more expensive prepared foods. A grocer in New York City even pipes artificial smells into it's facility to induce shoppers to buy more.
The rule, as you've often heard, is to never shop on an empty stomach.
2. Distance makes the heart grow fonder.
Ever notice how the things you need most frequently are the furthest away from the door? That's intentional; supermarkets guide you through aisles of the most attractive foods, hoping you'll give in to impulse buys.
If you only need one item, it's actually cheaper in the long run to shop at a small market where you'll be less tempted to buy unneeded items.
3. End caps aren't your friend.
End caps are the shelving units at the end of each aisle, where supermarkets place "sale" items that aren't always that cheap. They're counting on our preference to avoid heading down an aisle, so we'll just grab an end-cap item that seems reasonably priced.
Don't give in; wait until you can comparison-shop in the appropriate aisle. Better yet, find grocery coupons on your smartphone from sites like CouponSherpa.com, and see if the product on your list is available at a discount.
4. Bend and stretch your way to better prices.
Manufacturers pay big bucks for prime real estate, usually