12 tricks that supermarkets use to make you buy

The objective of any supermarket is to earn as much money as possible and for this they will apply all measures that are not illegal. However, our goal is to get the products we need but leaving us as little money as possible. Supermarkets and customers therefore have different interests and if businesses apply all their intelligence to impose them, citizens could do the same.

1. Huge shopping carts look empty.

Normally a simple basket would be enough for us to make our handful of really necessary purchases in the supermarket. But supermarkets care about putting you within easy reach very large shopping carts. Instead, small baskets are rare.

This is one of the sales strategies in the supermarket. Five products look puny in a gigantic cart, and the gaping void makes us feel like we need to buy more to make it “worth it.” This may be true for large family purchases, but people who live alone are tempted to make unnecessary purchases.

Advice:Use your own shopping bag, make it as small as possible. It is also advisable to make a list beforehand and buy only what is on it.

2. Long walks make our purchases a “trip”

In the small shops of yesteryear you asked for a kilo of flour and the shopkeeper put it immediately on the counter. In today’s huge supermarkets it’s hard to find even the cheapest basic products, because they don’t want to sell us that at all, but get rid of high-margin convenience foods.

Therefore, paths in the supermarket intentionally take us through as many shelves and offers as possible. In this way, we tend to fill our shopping carts.

Advice: If you go shopping with another person you will not tend to wander and entertain yourself. On the other hand, choose small supermarkets or that you know well to quickly find what you are looking for.

3. The best fruits and vegetables on the market

Modern supermarkets tend to place fresh products (fruits and vegetables) near the entrance. They are essential foods and act as a claim for you to go to the supermarket, but the main objective is to sell you the rest of the packaged products, much more profitable. On the other hand, supermarket fresh products arrive thanks to multinational distributors and it is common to find fruits and vegetables that come from the other side of the planet, with a huge ecological footprint.

Advice: it is better to buy fruits and vegetables in the municipal market where the stalls with local and seasonal products. Another option is the weekend farmers markets and organic stores. On the other hand, take your bags to buy in bulk. Avoid trays and plastic wrap.

4. Colorful banners grab your attention.

Ordinary price tags appear small and white. They don’t particularly attract attention. Instead, the products that produce the most profit for the supermarket appear under large red and yellow sale signs to attract our attention.

Advice: check if it is really a reasonable offer or if the supermarket just wants to empty its shelves. Maybe a better and cheaper product is right next door. Try to memorize the prices of basic products and Get used to looking at the price per kilogram.

5. Look at the shelves closest to the ground

The most profitable products for the supermarket are placed on shelves at eye level. Branded products are also placed there, which have invested more in advertising and which we easily recognize. Instead, others basic products with less profit margin you have to look for them close to the ground.

Advice: Always check the lower shelves, even in organic supermarkets, because the cheapest products are often there.

6. Big packages aren’t always cheaper

Most people think that the big container is cheaper, but it is not always true. Because many customers believe in this type of savings, they buy larger packages and end up paying more.

So that the trick is not noticed, the large packs are usually at a certain distance from the small packs, so that it is more difficult for us to compare the prices in small print.

Advice:in principle, do not trust such offers and pay close attention to whether large packaging, converted into a smaller unit, is actually cheaper.

7. Artificial scarcity makes us greedy

often works to create the feeling that a new product is going to sell out soon or suggests that the price will increase after launch. Neither of these is usually true. They are pure commercial strategies. They also serve to arouse interest in products that we really do not need.

Advice: don’t fall for offers on products you’re not really looking for. Think about whether you really need the products on a sale or if you are just being tempted with an “incredibly attractive price”.

8. We shop in line out of boredom

Sales psychology also assumes that at the beginning of the purchase, customers make more rational decisions. Instead, towards the end, when they get to the checkout, they are tired of making decisions and are more vulnerable to small purchases.

On the other hand, when we queue we get bored and we entertain ourselves looking at what we have nearby. That is why in the queue we find a variety of unnecessary products that we buy without thinking: chewing gum, batteries, chocolates, costume jewellery, small toys…

Advice: stand your ground, if only for a matter of principle. Use the time to review your purchase, do you really need all this? Do you need it now? Isn’t it going to expire before you consume it?