Supermarket sales tricks

Whilst supermarkets offer lots of great deals, they also want as much money as possible from you. There are many tricks supermarkets use to try to make you buy more than you need, and to encourage you to spend more.

How do they do that?
  • Have you noticed the music on the background? Usually it is slow music to make you feel more relaxed, less in a hurry and more prone to spend time in the supermarket and yes, spend more money.
  • Have you ever wondered why healthy food, for example fruit and vegetables are right at the entrance? You get them first and then you don’t feel guilty about buying less healthy food later on.
  • Why do you have to walk right to the back of the supermarket to find those essential items, like eggs for example, that you really need? Probably because by walking across the supermarket you will end up tempted by many items that weren’t on your shopping list.
  • While at the supermarket you probably concentrate on the shelves at eye level; those shelves contain the more expensive products!
  • Temptation will follow you to the end; space around the tills are usually covered with ‘you can still buy this’/offer/products.
  • Buy-one-get-one-free, popular offer but it can be quite deceptive. Very often this offer makes you buy more of a product that you intended to.
  • Lots of bright, coloured signs ‘informing’ you about the latest offer, top deals, lowest prices and so on… Some of those offers are probably not that much cheaper than the original price.
  • Packaging – a good way to tempt you on buying ‘the freshest’, ‘the best quality’ and so on…

How can you avoid supermarkets’ tricks?

  • Before you go shopping, make a list of what you need / intend to buy
  • Eat something first
  • Get your trolley
  • check lower shelves
  • Remember supermarkets always have offers on – you don’t have to buy it now because it’s offered cheaply
  • Find quickest check out

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