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Sneaky Supermarket SecretsSneaky Supermarket Secrets
Heather said: "Thanks for that interesting post.
Great information.."
Heather said: "Another thing worth noting regarding kids, the next time you walk the cereal aisle, take a look at the characters on the sugary kinds kids like.
They make it so the eyes on the characters are looking at the kids (in cart)
Interesting marketing!"
Heather said: "The Giant Eagle has them in every store.
I don't have kids, so I'm not sure how it works, but there are always a number of kids in there.."
cvalh said: "[QUOTE=SnapPea]They make it so the eyes on the characters are looking at the kids (in cart)
Interesting marketing![/QUOTE]
I'd actually noticed that before, and it freaks me out! They failed to accomplish their mission with me, haha."
UniqueMystique said: "You’re itching to get home after a hard day at work, but that carton of milk you emptied onto your Krispy Korn cereal this morning must be replaced. You pull into the parking lot of your favorite neighborhood supermarket, determined to simply dash in and dash out.
Entering the store, you make a beeline to the dairy section -- all the way in the back. Opening the cooler door you select the milk-fat percentage you desire from the shelf nearest your elbow. Heading for the checkout line, you remember that you’re about to run out of paper towels. Tucking a roll under your arm, you notice that your favorite snack item is on sale, fetchingly arranged at the end of Aisle 13.
Soon you're pushing a cart and dangerously close to exceeding the “10 items or less” limit. Your dairy dash has turned into a $25, 20-minute exercise. Why?
The first part of this scenario is obvious. Being forced to walk the length of the store for staple goods causes you to amble past eye-catching displays and featured specials. Because you are already committed to a shopping experience you’re more likely to add to your list than to trim it.
There are mysterious forces at work. Remember when you reached into the cooler for your carton of milk? Shoppers most frequently reach to racks that are nearest eye level, or waist high. Even though you might inspect the expiration date, you may still look only at those racks nearest your reach. The lowest shelves will typically hold the freshest product.
On the aisles, however, the lowest shelves are not as prestigious. Supermarkets "sell" their shelf locations to suppliers. Prime real estate is occupied by top brands and store brands -- this would be that convenient space directly in your field of vision.
You might also find items attractive to children placed nearer their view. Why shouldn’t Junior benefit from an early education in consumerism? Let’s even give him a cart just his size so he can participate in the shopping adventure.
Supermarket chains spend millions of dollars to understand the psychology of shopping, but some of the most effective tricks are simple.
Many stores have an area near the main door sometimes called a "decompression zone." Generally, we enter a store at our regular walking pace. This area is clear of merchandise and allows you a moment to collect yourself -- slow down a bit -- take in the scenery.
In some supermarkets, the entrance is climate controlled to make you more comfortable and less inclined to rush.
Notice that fruits and vegetables are very often near an entrance? Produce is colorful, inviting, and reminds us of health and nutrition. Once past this section, we might feel less guilt over adult beverages and snack food.
“End caps” are those artfully arranged displays at the end of the aisle, notorious for snagging the front bumper of your cart as you turn the corner. As you replace the bag of chips you’ve up-ended from the stack, you feel a craving coming on.
While we’re busily scanning shelves for the items on our list, we’re not thinking of our susceptibility to suggestion. Your friendly grocery store, however, has been diligently working to engage you on a subconscious level -- titillating you with provocative subliminal messages.
Ads offering ridiculously low-priced staples gets you into the store where you can be hypnotized by appealing, full-price goodies. Any money the store lost on the "special offer" is more than doubled when you walk out with 10 extra items you didn’t intend to buy.
If you want to keep your dollars in your pocket and get more value for the money you spend, here are some tips:
Plan meals for a week and shop less often (especially if you are easily hypnotized).
Make your list, check it twice and don’t deviate unless absolutely necessary!
Don’t be seduced by glossy coupons when the products are not what you would typically buy.
Leave Junior with Grandpa, if he can’t be denied.
…and never go shopping when hungry.
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Jake Freeman is a writer-photographer-painter-technology analyst from the great state of Idaho. And she's a girl."
UniqueMystique said: "I had always thought that having a child care service in a supermarket would be a great idea.....nice to see that someone else thought so too. Do they have a safe system worked out for picking up your child? Such as matching wrist bands, etc?"
spectrachic311 said: "One of the grocery stores here in town has a "kid drop-off" zone where they have a sort of day-care room for your kids. You drop them off and let them play video games, play with toys, etc. while you shop. That way, they can't beg for stuff.
I always find that I do my most efficient shopping if I have a list. I write down what I came there to get and I'm much less distracted by the snacky foods."
yoyo said: "I read your thread last night and, lo and behold, there was a programme on this morning asking if Supermarkets were destroying our lives.
They were focussing on the fact that our farm animals - cows, etc - are suffering so that the farmers can meet the demands of the supermarkets... For example, the price the supermarkets pay the farmers for milk, mean that the farmers have to force feed the dairy cows with special foods and keep them inside all the time - as, if the cow is left to graze in the field, it can't produce enough milk..... and we all know what happens to chickens.....
But who is to blame? Is the it supermarket for providing the stuff or the consumer for demanding cheaper foods? Mark you, our supermarkets make fabulous profits......
Apart from supermarkets, we had a local family shop that has sold paint, wallpaper and so on for over 100 years... A large DIY chain opened 3 miles away and the local family shop closed before the end of the month!!!!
Regards"
daytimedreamer said: "i always shop just after breakfast and usually make sure i have additional banana before i walk through the doors lol ... i also try to leave kids at sisters so tht i can just run in and get what i need off my list,,, also have silly little competitions with myself such as guessing how many carrier bags i might need or what the end bill may be ,,, this distracts me from the "naughties" lol and allows me to get on with what i went in for
supermarkets do deploy some very wicked tricks in order to buy what they want to us to buy so what tricks to we all deploy to avoid the temptation ???"
LEBZTA said: "That stuff is so interesting to me! I am a marketing major and I am taking a Promotion and Advertising class. We studied Supermarkets extensively and it is amazing the little tricks that they do that lure us all in! Have you ever noticed how the music is soft and soothing? Thus "relaxing" us and coaxing us to stay longer. If they played the William Tell Overture or something studies show that the general consumer would be much more rushed and more apt to hurry through and buy significantly less. WOW! How would have thought? Good post! I love this stuff."
LEBZTA said: "WOW that's a good idea! I know my mom was always getting after my brother and I because we wanted candy and chips and all that junk. She probably would have loved to have dropped us off at the KidZone! lol :)"
TonyH said: "[QUOTE=daytimedreamer]
supermarkets do deploy some very wicked tricks in order to buy what they want to us to buy so what tricks to we all deploy to avoid the temptation ???[/QUOTE]
Cash.
I leave the ATM and credit cards at home along with the checkbook. I prepare a shopping list, and only take enough cash to cover the items on the list.
The list itself is a good trick to stave off impulse buys. Shop from the list and only from the list.
Have a little snack before going so you aren't hungry.
Shop from the back of the store to the front. When you walk in, grab your cart, and briskly walk to the rear of the store. If possible, do so down an aisle that does not contain food items. Some folks shop from the front of the store to the rear and have to walk all the way through it to get to the check out lines.
Never take a child grocery shopping if you can avoid it. They slow you down, and tend to grab crap off the shelves and put it in the cart, or waive it at you tempting you to buy."
Lahi126 said: "I'm not really sure if someone has mentioned this already, but I heard that...
~ In a lot of grocery stores the "more healthy" foods tend to be shelfed along the perimeter. By more healthy, I mean more wholesome and natural. (Like the produce, meat, diary, etc.) In contrast, the center aisles of the store tend to contain the items which are probably better left on the shelf.
~And, of course, it is a good idea to go shopping after you have eaten a meal...things definitely will seem less satisfying if you have already eaten. And you probably won't find yourself slipping the unneeded or tantalizing foods in your shopping cart. (Or basket, if you care to lift weight)
---L! :confused:"