You make a dash to the local supermarket for a few staples like milk, bread, coffee/tea, sugar and some fresh veges. When you get to the check out though you invariably find you have a few additional items in the shopping trolley that you had no intention of getting and don't even need ....
Sound familiar?? If you're lucky (and strong minded) they won't be junk food !!Have you ever wondered why the milk and dairy products are right down the back of pretty much every supermarket? It's so that you have to walk past hundreds of products you had no intention of buying when you came in the front doors, to get to these every day staples.
But I guess that's a pretty obvious one we've all sussed out right alongside putting the most profitable products right where you look first on the shelves, and the cheapest ones right down the bottom or up the on top shelves....
Our friendly retailers have much sneakier tricks than that up their sleeves though. For instance, a study found that playing classical music at a wine store got customers to select more expensive wines. Probably something to do with the image of classical music and 'upper class'; somehow with those thoughts playing in your mind a cheap bottle of plonk doesn't quite cut it.
And playing slow music in general slows customers down so that they have more time to see and buy stuff they didn't want. Then there is the ploy of using slightly smaller tiles in the more expensive sections of the store because people will automatically slow down when the trolley wheels start to click over the gaps between the tiles faster. I'm not making this up either incidentally; it comes from Professor Alan Penn of University College in London.
Also beware of shoppers cards because these aren't just about providing discounts. They also collect a fair whack of information about your shopping habits which enables retailers to better plan shelving layouts, product placement and pricing strategies so that you will buy even more.
Tips to outwit supermarket mind games:
- Take a shopping list with you and stick to it, RELIGIOUSLY
- Don't take children with you if possible; that will allow you to avoid the 'strategically placed at children's eye level' temptations
- Walk in the front doors with a budget in mind and stick to it, RELIGIOUSLY
- Be aware of all the ploys to make you spend more. I've found doing that allows me to easily resist their luring tactics. Kind of like an "I will win this battle" game :)
