Sneaky supermarket tricks that are keeping you fat

Posted on Nov 5th 2007 10:43PM by Martha Edwards

Ever notice how when you go into the Supermarket, you end up with waaaaaaay more than you came for? This happens to me all the time -- I went on Saturday for yogurt and ended up spending $30 (and that was me being thrifty.) There are mysterious forces at the supermarket, forces that want you to spend more money on food that will expand your waistline. Here are some tricks they use, according to this article from eDiets:

All the necessities -- bread, dairy, meat, produce -- are spread out, which means you usually have to walk across the whole store to get from one to the other. Which means, of course, that you see all those carefully-placed displays.
The food manufacturers who pay the most get the prime spot in the store -- on the shelves at eye-level.
The climate is often comfortable so you're less inclined to rush out of there.

To find out more supermarket tips, click here.

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Tags: brands, food, grocery shopping, GroceryShopping, healthy, supermarket

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)

Yayaja 11-06-2007 @ 9:06AM

"The climate is often comfortable so you're less inclined to rush out of there. "

Is this really a "supermarket trick"? Endeavoring to make the customer as comfortable as possible benefits both the customer and the supermarket, and what place of business doesn't try to make the general environment as comfortable as possible?

melissa 11-06-2007 @ 11:47AM

don't forget products geared for children are at their eye level within easy reach, and some stores will reorganize and move products around. they offer samples of food products. offer coupons or specials etc. stores will pretty much do any thing to get you to spend more

Dave 11-06-2007 @ 11:45AM

To include meat and dairy as "necessities" is naive and inaccurate. Educate yourself at www.notmilk.com

fielgreg 11-06-2007 @ 1:30PM

Who wants to work in a grocery store if you can see your own breath? Employees like a nice climate just as much as the customers. They come in for work. It's cold in the building. They turn on the heat so that they don't freeze. Not a sales tactic: just plain common sense.
And as for spreading all the essentials out: yah, they kind of have to spread it out. I would like to see anyone try to find what they are looking for when it's all jumbled together in the same spot. You want milk, you know where to find it. No sane person would look for it in the produce department. There are so many products available that without organization you would never find anything. Imagine going to the store looking for apples and you have to sort through all the meat and bakery goods to find it. I like it the way it is, thank you.
Are we so obsessed with drama in our society today that we have to look for conspiracy is every thing we see just to get a bit of entertainment out of it?

fielgreg 11-06-2007 @ 1:45PM

Cynthia 11-06-2007 @ 1:45PM

In response to Dave, even your soy milk is in the dairy section in many large supermarkets. Eat meat, you pale skinny thing.

Kat 11-06-2007 @ 1:45PM

"The climate is often comfortable so you're less inclined to rush out of there. "

i freeze in the supermarket. This makes me get what i need and check out as soon as possible.

I understand the supermarkets tactics to make you buy more. Maybe customers just need more will power not to.

Mikey 11-06-2007 @ 2:22PM

Idiots, climate does not just mean temperature. Try removing your head from your anus and use your brain.

Sheesh.

Gina 11-06-2007 @ 12:23PM

Sounds kind of paranoid to me. Nobody is trying to make/keep people fat. Now if they were tying you down and force feeding the stuff to you, I would agree. Use a little will power.

Mike 11-06-2007 @ 1:42PM

Doesn't work with me. I hate grocery shopping. You waste my time; you piss me off; half the time I skip an item or two; I'm out of there.

MARY KOONTZ 11-06-2007 @ 1:44PM

AT OUR FRED MEYER STORES WHERE I LIVE THE BREAD PEANUT BUTTER AND JAMS AND COOKIES ARE RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WINE DEPT. IN THEIR LATEST CHANGES NEVER HAVE GOT THIS CONNECTION IF YOU WANT PEANUT BUTTER GO TO THE WINE DEPT.!!

KMW 11-06-2007 @ 1:45PM

I worked in advertising. They are trying to get you to buy as much as they possibly can and using everything from sound to color display to location to smell to accomplish that goal, even 2fers and Bogo deals. However, as long as you buy it, they don't care if you eat it or not. Will power is in order. But the industry to tries to destroy your willpower spends a LOT of money to do it and to do it in such a way that you don't notice it. They are the same people who then sell you diet pills and exercise equipment.

kw

Man 11-06-2007 @ 1:18PM

2. To include meat and dairy as "necessities" is naive and inaccurate. Educate yourself at www.notmilk.com

Posted at 11:45AM on Nov 6th 2007 by Dave

Hey Dave...I'm sick and tired of all you vegetarians trying to force your lifestyle on those who like to eat meat and dairy. "Educate yourself"...hah! How about educating yourself.....our teeth are made so that we have the ability to eat all sorts of food. Our front teeth are designed to cut various foods, meats and vegetables alike, into bite-sized pieces and our molars are for chewing and grinding those said pieces, but moreso for meats. That makes us both herbivores and carnivores. Pure science. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to the store to get the ingredients I need for the meatloaf that I'm making for dinner. Mmmmmm!

J.B. 11-06-2007 @ 1:39PM

Sorry to sound so strong and stubborn.
But nobody has ever induced me to buy more and spend more, or buy the wrong things. I got my list and stay with it, no iff's or butt's.
Also, I agree with the statement:
Its always so cold in there, I am out of there as soon as I have my staples. BE STRONG, dont let them suck you in,
it's easy to stay the course. Always remember they make suckers out of you and RUN.

Chris 11-06-2007 @ 1:37PM

Here's a novel concept...MAKE A GROCERY LIST and stick to it! Duh! Is it really that hard to make a full list of the things you need BEFORE going to the store? I do it every week..it takes ten minutes..tops. Try it, you might like it.

Silvermstockman 11-06-2007 @ 2:35PM

Yes they are keeping you Fat and keeping you addicted. Why? because most packaged foods are not made in America. Why? Our own media and the majority of Hollywood bashes loyal American families every chance they can get so why would other countries be concerned with keeping American's healthy. We allow schools to feed our children garbage for school lunches made from wholesale cans instead of local agriculture! The food in stores across America once you leave California, is bins of seconds fruit and vegs, picked green and waxed to color. Very little choice forces us to find meals in boxes made of God only knows what. 52% of agriculture in now imported into America because PETA doesn't like how we "treat" livestock and the ACLU doesn't like the way we "treat" the people who harvest. The same "treatment" that has 15 million people illegally in our country . So we outsource our most valuable resource. Food for our people, food for our children, food for our nation and we lose the ability to support and keep the family farm. We can lose our nation because we can't feed ourselves. Wake up people. Get to work take back American jobs, learn trades and deport illegal's.

xanimebabyx 11-06-2007 @ 5:28PM

I thought they were going to give tips like how supermarkets put out the most recent stuff in the back of the shelf so you buy the old stuff first...this isnt news...although i have to admit i do get sucked into buying more than i came for...and often forget to pick up what i went in for!

Bob Thornton 11-06-2007 @ 5:47PM

Try checking where your food comes from, more & more of it is from China. With all the lead based paint scares why are they letting china process our food. Dole, fruit products are from China, and just about all shoes are made there. I think the government should put stiff penilities on companies that ship out stuff to other countries to be handled, processed, etc and returned to us. With the companies pocketing huge profits by laying off American workers.

Jill 11-06-2007 @ 5:51PM

Yeah, they do all kinds of things to dig into our wallets but we're forgetting what's really important. First, we have an abundance of food in the US. Our waistlines testify to that. Second...we have wallets full of money to spend on food we don't need and often waste.

bethftlaud 11-06-2007 @ 6:23PM

If I want to get just a couple of things, I don't get a shopping cart, just one of those carry baskets. That way I only get what fits in there and what I can carry. If I get a cart, it is too easy to load it up...