Psychologist reveals grocery stores use 5 tricks to get you to spend more money without realizing
Topics: Money, Shopping, Psychology, US News
Mia Williams
Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Images
Topics: Money, Shopping, Psychology, US News
A psychologist has revealed the five tricks every grocery store uses to make shoppers spend more money - including the surprising power of in-store music.
We've all been there - you've popped into the grocery store for one basic item, and leave with a whole array of random purchases that were just 'too good' to leave behind.
But have you ever stopped to question why we do this?
The truth is, grocery stores aren't designed to make it easy for you to stop by for just one item, that's according to experts.
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In fact, there are numerous psychological tricks going on in front of your very eyes without us even knowing so.
And psychologist Eloise Skinner has revealed the five ways stores secretly encourage us to spend more money - and they're not as obvious as you might expect.
"Shoppers have to pass through the entire store before getting to the everyday items," she explained.
And while we're on our way to the essentials, she added: "Offers are strategically placed throughout the store can also keep our attention high as we progress through a shop."
Retail expert Kayleigh Fazan also noted: "Most customers believe they're making completely independent choices, but visibility has a huge influence on what ends up in the basket."
You know exactly where the bread is, but when you go back to the same store, it's in a completely different location.
And that's not a coincidence.
Skinner said: "It increases uncertainty about location of items, and encourages consumers to engage with new products or ways of shopping.
"Stores can certainly use layout as a tool to keep people engaged and interested while shopping - mixing up the layout can lead to a longer time in store."
Walking into a grocery store at any given time can be overstimulation-central.
Between red labels, stacks of the same product, or signs telling you to 'buy now' or else, the whole experience implies a sense of urgency and chaos.
And this mindset leads quite nicely to making impulse purchases.
"Big displays at the entrance of the store focus on the senses (flowers, fresh fruit, big discounts or offers), which can put consumers in a positive or open mindset," the psychologist explained.
Fazan added: "Retailers understand that shopping is often emotional rather than purely rational. Multi-buy offers, limited-time promotions, and strategic product groupings create a sense of value and convenience that encourages additional purchases."
If you've ever found yourself bobbing your head to the store radio station - that's also not a mistake.
"Supermarkets generally pick ambient music over recognizable songs, since ambient music allows us to process the music as part of the background, rather than feeling distracted by recognizable tracks - or becoming aware of the time passing and wanting to finish shopping quicker," Skinner said.
Interestingly, she added: "There's also some distinction between music played on weekdays and at weekends, with research suggesting music has a more positive consumer impact on shoppers during the week."
There's generally two different sizes of shopping carts to choose from in store, but if the smaller version is nowhere to be seen on a particular day, there might be a cheeky reason why.
"Making shopping carts bigger can lead us to filling the cart more, with a subconscious understanding that we haven't shopped sufficiently if the cart is not full," Skinner explained.
All of this, combined with placing higher-value items at eye level, using price comparisons, and promoting 'deals', means the odds are really stacked against us when it comes to finding a genuine bargain.