5 ways supermarkets trick you into shopping their way

Posted on Sep 19th 2007 11:34AM by Rigel Celeste

These days you've really got to have your game face on when you head out to buy groceries. Supermarkets have quite a few tricks they use to get you to buy what they want to sell, to keep you in the store as long as possible, and to encourage impulse purchases. Here are just a few of the methods they use so you can be ready and shop smart:

Eye candy Tempting impulse items aren't just located by the cash register. Many stores put the candy/sweets aisle directly opposite the cereal aisle so a must-have (cereal) easily leads to a must-avoid (candy), especially if your kids are along.
End-caps People often assume (I'm guilty of this one) that because something is featured and stacked up at the end of the aisle that it must be on sale or new or on some other kind of special. Rarely the case, but then you've already got it in your head that you want one.
Shelf shuffles Supermarkets often rearrange the order and location of basic items in a blatant effort to keep customers looking longer and spending more time in the store shopping.
Cozy spots to relax By incorporating comfortable places to relax like cafes and coffee shops grocery stores make it easy for you to make shopping almost an all-morning or all-afternoon event. The more time you spend the more you're going to buy.
Tantalizing smells Stores often position the bakery or deli near the entrance so the first thing you smell and think of when you walk in is freshly baked sweets and rotisserie chicken.

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Tags: groceries, grocery, grocery store, GroceryStore, shop, shopping, supermarket, supermarkets

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Tim UF 9-19-2007 @ 3:35PM

The rotisserie chicken gets me every time

rich 9-24-2007 @ 7:36AM

where do they get this crap. i've been running supermarkets for 25 years..the end cap is almost always a sale feature. the shelves get rearranged because the manufactuers continue to pump out new items at a incrediblepace, and these items get added to the shelf set. oh and we put candy everywhere because people BUY IT.

Crabby McSlacker 9-24-2007 @ 8:19AM

I too can't resist the smell of rotisserie chicken!

And I tend to assume the stuff on the ends is on sale. But that won't make me buy it unless I want it anyway.

And I'm pretty resistant to the junk food wherever they put it on the shelf--unless they cut it up and offer it as a free sample in which case I'm powerless and must eat it.

Thanks for the tips Rigel!

(http://crankyfitness.blogspot.com/)

Ed Howell 9-24-2007 @ 8:50AM

Wow, how prices have skyrocketed, especially paper goods! Last week, toilet tissue was so high that we bought 20 pounds of cheese instead!

HumorLover 9-24-2007 @ 8:55AM

Ed ! That's hilarious ! Thanks...

Ray Lanfear 9-24-2007 @ 9:13PM

Was a store manager for many years. Vendors pay the stores for "shelf space position", its almost "payola". Also, ever wonder why the meat, and dairy and milk sections are located in the rear of the store. The reason why is too make you walk pass all the merchandise on your way to and back, tempting you to buy more products. In the modern world even, color plays a part in impulse buying, stores are designed to get the maximum dollar out of your pockets. 6figureincomeandmore.com. Shop with a list and stick to it, no matter what catches your eye while, shopping, you will save hundreds by doing this.
haveittodayray

Stanley Garcia 9-24-2007 @ 10:06AM

That's Life get use to it

Jessi 9-24-2007 @ 10:07AM

This is not true. I have been working in a grocery store for a while. Stuff that is in endcaps are stuff that is on sale. When we get stuff that is new it will usually have a sign that says look what is new. Also the deli and bakery are not located at the front of the store. these items are normally in the back of the store. Grocery stroe can't help it is the smells tempt people. We do have a bar that we put by the self chekout that way if people want it its there for them to grab at the last minute and its still hot not cold. Where in the world do you get these stupid ideas. In your dreams or something. not everyone gets tempted into this. as Rich says manufacters are always coming up with something new at an incredible pace its true. Thats why thing get discontinued or rearranged. How bout when the Hoildays come around we have to make room for these items especially when sommer and then when kids go back to school. Nice try loser but what you say is not true. better think again and find something else to pick on.

gillogly 9-24-2007 @ 10:45AM

I work in a grocery store and the stuff on the end caps are either weekly specials or just an overflow for foods that we sell the most in that paticular time. Also the deli and bakery in the store i work at is in the front of the store. Yes there are some that are in the back but don't assume thats were they always are. The store i'm at has candy all over and have even rearrange the store so that a person stays in the longer so they will buy more. But that is part of any retail store of any kind. Wether it is a grocery or regular retail.. Thats part of the industry, out for the almighty dollar.

Kat Nelson 9-24-2007 @ 11:14AM

Make a list, check it twice, don't take your kids with you while shopping for groceries (even the big kid your husband or male S.O.) and you will find that with focus you can get through the store despite it's many traps and junk foods to exit intact with the items you want, not what the stores want you to want. One suggestion: Do NOT buy store brands. They are inferior as I have found as a grocery shopper for 50 years. If you eat "pure" and
organically, your costs might be slightly higher, but the quality of food is so superior you will find you eat less because it is higher nutrition. I don't buy anything that isn't organic in a grocery store. If they don't have it a great natural foods store does. Use common sense and maintain your waistline while you are at it.

Kat Nelson 9-24-2007 @ 11:12AM

Tia 9-24-2007 @ 11:13AM

Haha I worked in a deli for a long time and we always had to have at least 2 chickens in the rotisserie at all times so the store would always have that great smell. I would even break down and buy a chicken before I left. lol

Cynthia Brown 9-24-2007 @ 11:14AM

Where I go, the baked items unless prepackaged like Entemans is always towars the back. I always resist candies because I typically go to the fruit and vegetable isles which are always towards the front of the store. I am from NYC and currently live in Cheyenne Wyoming where all of the fat women make it alot easier to diet and not want to look like them.

betty 9-24-2007 @ 11:23AM

well best way to not buy more then you need is to have a list .and eat before you shop .this helps me plus my husband gets only on the list .if i eye something .he says ; im done lets go .only thing i hate is when the put day or maybe older bakery iten on a cart & say reductes item .onces you get them home .they are hard & sometimes dry .

Ima Consumer 9-24-2007 @ 12:15PM

The best time to shop is right after a heavy meal. The last thing you want to look at is food! You'll stick to your list and avoid all the snacks and extras. This technique is the one I use and saves me the most money.

n2aerosmith4ever 9-24-2007 @ 12:46PM

I disagree about store brands. Not only are many of them just as good as the name brand, but some of them are even made BY the name brand company itself.

When I worked for a grocery store, our endcaps got reset almost every week, but that was so we could replace old sale items with new ones. The only time we put full price items there was if we had so many they wouldn't fit on the shelf or in the back storage.

We would reset each section of items (i.e. cereal, peanut butter, shampoo, etc.) 1-3 times a year, but that was to put new products in and discontinued products out. The only time we completely rearranged stuff was when there would be a remodel, and even then we HATED to do it, because then customers couldn't find stuff where it used to be and it got them very upset.

So, this article sounds like a bunch of hooey to me! :)

Shari D 9-24-2007 @ 1:03PM

The store where I shop is pretty much just as they said in the article, and I've been grocery shopping for myself and a family for over 30 years, so I already know all the tricks. The bakery AND deli are at the front, the ailes get rearranged or even relocated, and have nothing to do with new merchandise - it's to make people stay in the store longer, etc. The endcap merchandise is rarely if ever a "special sale" - frequently it's overpriced package deals that you would pay much less for if you bought the bigger size, or the two items separately. You HAVE to do some simple math and check out the regular displays to be able to get the best value. As for organic foods - they are fine as far as they go. But when you are shopping on a tight budget, sometimes you have to make a few sacrifices. As for store brands, as long as it's Grade A Fancy, or whatever other USDA rating system that gets used, it doesn't matter if it says "Store Brand" on the label or Green Giant, Hunts, or whatever - Grade A Fancy is still Grade A Fancy. As a matter of fact, I frequently find that the store brand tastes better, and is better quality than some name brands. You have to take a few chances and compare sometimes - you'd be amazed at what you find by doing a little investigating. One store I shop in doesn't even have all that other nonsense - and I have calculated that I can save 45% or 50% and sometimes more, depending on how careful I choose to be.
Also, cooking from scratch is frequently the best way to save money - most convenience foods are overpriced, and can be done yourself at home for much less money. You can also control what goes into it, and adjust the results to accomodate different tastes, as well as portion control. You can say "I don't have time" - but you can MAKE the time by a little time management and priority realignment. I've raised two kids, together with my husband, and we both worked full time, both of them had after school activities, I was a Boy Scout den mother, and we still ate homemade, home cooked meals every night for dinner. Advance planning and prep work, use of a crock pot for cooler weather meals, and many other tricks of the trade made it all possible. And we ate well. You have to know the games that stores play, and how to defeat them. I treat it like a challenge - how much can they try - and how much can I get out of the store with for not so much money?? It's a weekly challenge - and I always win.

Vicki 9-24-2007 @ 1:18PM

It's called marketing! Not every store will be set up the same, and not every person will take the bait. Let us not forget that a grocery store is a business like most stores are, and they are trying to sell their product to the public.

ogirl58 9-24-2007 @ 1:35PM

everything in the article is true of the 2 grocery stores that i visit in my city. its marketing! they are certainly not to blame. has anyone ever heard the adage "buyer beware"? of course. there's nothing wrong with marketing product whatever way they can. its free enterprise, baby! grocers should not get defensive!

Jessi 9-24-2007 @ 1:43PM

store brands are ususually the way to go. they are much cheaper but not many people know that they are made by the name brands that make their own 2. If you do not eat oeganic then that will save you money like crazy because organice food is more expensive then anything. Also on the day old stuff try to go in the early morning. these items when I buy them are not dry and hard. If its stuff like bread put it in the fridge it will stay fresher long.. I have seen people walk away with almost $300 dollars worth of food for like $100.dollars. The thing I do is just buy food at the grocery store then go to walmart or a dollar store and buy stuff like my shampoo detergent stuff that I can get cheaper else where

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