There’s no surprise that supermarkets encourage you to spend, but just how are they making sure more items go into your trolley?
Well, almost every aspect of the store is designed to lure you into spending more than you planned. Store layout, lighting, music and shelving are all deliberate decisions to lure you in.
Here are a few of the tricks:
One way, or another
Supermarket entries are almost always the furthest away from common grocery items. So while you enter in one corner, the bread and milk are at the opposite end of the store.
Essential items are often separated far away from each other. So eggs in one aisle, milk in another, pasta in another again. This forces you to pass plenty of other temptations on the way.
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Fruit and vegetables are generally close to an entrance to give you a warm fuzzy feeling about stocking up on ‘good’ items before heading towards the chocolate and chips aisle.
Flowers and plant displays near the front of a store serve the same purpose; they immediately cheer you up before you get started on the business of spending money. Supermarkets make almost no money on these lines, but they know they are vital to putting you in a good mood.
All those low, wooden display fittings in fruit and veg sections mimic ‘market’ stalls and are aimed at reinforcing a sense that we’re doing the right thing by buying fresh produce.
Time out
Supermarkets want you to spend as much time as possible in store because, like any task, your decisions become less and less rational as time goes on.
CHOICE editorial director Margaret Rafferty told the ABC that our brains eventually suffer “burnout”.
“We know from research … that after about 23 minutes at the supermarket, we’re hitting real burnout in terms of our capacity to make decisions,” Ms Rafferty says.
“Our decisions go from being really thought out to more impulsive and emotional.
“After 40 minutes, we just tune out.”
You might go in with a plan, but at some point you are loading chips and expensive soap into your trolley and wondering if you should buy that delicious cheese you had last Christmas.
Part of that is placing essential items away from each other as discussed above, but it’s also the music.
A study found that playing slow tempo music slows your pace, and in fact in that study, it found that playing slow music boosted sales by up to 38 per cent.
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Red means go
Shoppers, specifically Westerners, are conditioned to see red as a ‘sale’ colour. Think about it, see a ‘sale’ sign in any store, grocery or otherwise, even online, it’s almost always in red.
That’s why there is usually red everywhere in a supermarket.
And all those black or dark colours on and around the fittings in the fruit and veg and meat departments? Makes the bright colours ‘pop’, increasing their appeal. Imagine a bunch of red capsicums on a black background, and then think about red capsicums on a white background, you can ‘see’ the difference immediately.
Marketers have also worked out that people naturally associate ‘green’ products with the colour, so almost every organic or ‘wholefood’ product in these lines are trading in on our feeling good about buying ‘green’ with the colour.
Fight back
Your best tactic to avoid this manipulation is to go in with a list and stick to it. Only buy specials if you really need them and shop around for the best bargains.
This week’s best deals
Coles
Sensible: John West Tuna Tempters, half price $1.35. I’m putting this here not only because it’s a good price, but also because Coles has seen fit to include it in its Valentine’s Day specials. So chocolates, ice creams and … canned fish? Why Coles, why?
Indulgence: Airwick Reed Diffusers, 50ml, half price, $7. A good option if you want a room to smell nice, but don’t like the idea of having fire hazards such as candles or incense.
See the catalogue here.
Read: When is it okay to be a cheapskate?
Aldi
Sensible: Linked Trolley Bags, $19.99. These are a bit of a cult item for Aldi fans. They let you easily pack and store your groceries, although I do wonder about getting the biggest one out of the trolley if it’s full.
Indulgence: Wurstel Chilli Chocolate Salami Sticks, $5.99. That’s a whole bunch of words that probably shouldn’t be together. I was hoping the ‘salami’ bit was only for descriptive purposes for the shape, but no, it really is chilli, chocolate and salami. I’ll probably give it a crack just to say I have.
See the catalogue here.
IGA
Sensible: Tamar Valley The Creamery Greek Style Yoghurt, 170g, half price $1.35. I love the big fat swirl of flavouring in these yoghurts that makes a tart contrast to the creamy yoghurt.
Indulgence: Bacardi, 700ml, $47. Nothing says I love you for Valentine’s Day like a bottle of white rum.
See the catalogue here.
Woolworths
Sensible: Chicken Roasting Portions, half price $4/kg. An excellent price for a handy midweek meal. Just bung them in the oven and away you go.
Indulgence: Mortein Powergard DIY Indoor and Outdoor Insect Surface Spray, 2L, half price $20. Spiders will quake in the presence of this bad boy. If you’ve got a problem with things that scuttle around in dark corners, two litres of insect spray should fix that up quick smart.
See the catalogue here.
Do you spend too much time in the supermarket? What’s your tactic to keep your grocery bill down? Why not share your tips in the comments section below?
