Savings tricks supermarkets don’t want you to know

The design of supermarkets and hypermarkets is no coincidence. It is the result of many behavioral studies, and it is designed to make customers buy more. Faced with so much investment in marketing, you are not defenseless. You can circumvent those sales techniques with these savings tricks that work very well. Don’t miss them!

They don’t want you to know the power of a list

If you go with your shopping list and just stick to it, you make all the well-thought-out design of the supermarket layout practically useless.

• It is useless that they have arranged the water and milk at the back of the establishment to force you to pass in front of other products and be tempted to buy them.
• It also doesn’t work for them to change the location of some products from time to time, to force you to look at items you don’t plan to take with you.

That is, as long as you stand firm and only buy what you put on your list, of course.

The two that I mentioned before are just a sample of all the supermarket strategies so that you look at products that you do not plan to buy.

• They put extra sales counters in the main aisles because they know you have to stop by. And they make them very eye-catching to catch your attention.
• They design the width of the aisles so that two carts can cross each other, but just enough. All this so that you have to slow down and have time to look at the shelves, even if you are in a section that does not interest you.

The objective of each of these strategies is the same: to encourage compulsive buying. In other words, you come home with something that you did not plan to buy. And that’s much more likely to happen if you go with a rough mental list of what you need. If you take the time to prepare an exhaustive list, it won’t happen to you.

They don’t want you to leave your kids at home.

They prefer that you go to their company to buy because children tend to influence the purchase and ask you to take certain products. It is clear that education also influences, but it must be recognized that sometimes it is easier to buy peace by paying attention to the child. Supermarkets know all of this very well.

That’s why they place attractive products for children at their eye level. That way they know they can get your attention.

And I can’t fail to mention a classic: sweets in the checkout line. They know perfectly well that during the minutes that the child is waiting with the adult, it is very likely that she will try to convince him to buy some sweets.

The candy in the boxes is also intended for the elderly. Because when you’re waiting, you’re more likely to consider additional purchases. That is why stores like Decathlon, Primark, or Mediamarkt have surrounded the waiting aisle with shelves of cheap items.

In any case, one of the saving tricks that I propose is if you can, leave the children at home when you go shopping.

They go out of their way to complicate comparisons

In this, it must be said that the fault lies more with the brands than with the supermarkets themselves, although they also have an influence.

The manufacturers of the products manage to make containers of all sizes and shapes, to confuse you when you value the price.

• A specialty is making packages that look bigger than they are. A classic example is cereal boxes and other containers that easily contain 20-30% air. When you see it, it looks big, but it doesn’t contain as much product as you would expect.
• Another trick is to sell an item in individual doses. Since in absolute value, the price is much lower than that of larger containers, it seems like a cheap option. But in reality, individual doses are usually much more expensive.

Supermarkets place the products they are most interested in selling at the most comfortable height for the customer. It is usually about those that generate the most margins. But, luckily, by law, they are obliged to put a comparative reference of the price of the product. Depending on the case, it is per kilogram, per liter, or unit. If you take a few seconds to compare the unit price for each product you buy, all those strategies to confuse you will be useless.

They don’t want you to buy only the amount you need

They are interested in selling more, even if it is with some additional discount. That is why they make you those offers of 3 × 2 or the second unit with a percentage discount. 

I am not saying that in a few cases, these promotions are not interesting. But in reality, most of the time they don’t make up for it.

Some use psychological tricks. When they tell you: “The second unit with a 70% discount”, they are giving you a 35% discount if you buy two units. And it doesn’t seem so cheap anymore, seen like this.

That is without counting that in many cases the amount of product you have to buy to benefit from the promotion is exaggerated concerning your consumption. You run the risk that part of your purchase will expire.

Nor should we underestimate the psychological effect that having a large amount of product has on consumption. The illusion of abundance can lead us to use more than we need. What has the effect that we end up spending more?

Luckily, if you listen to these savings tricks in supermarkets, you will have your list, so you are not going to buy something unexpected, no matter how much it is on sale. And if one of the things on your list is being promoted, now that you know the facts about the offers, you will know how to make the right decision.

They don’t want you to use a small cart

Supermarket carts are big for several reasons. One of them is that they allow you to place bulky products or very large purchases.

But, have you noticed that there are usually no medium carts? You have to choose between a large one and a basket, which in most cases is too small for the weekly purchase. One of the reasons is that using a large cart encourages you to fill it with more things.

Luckily, countering that technique is pretty straightforward. If you go with another person, you can take two baskets. If you go alone, you can bring your own shopping cart (if the establishment allows it). If there is no other choice, you can opt for the supermarket cart. After all, you go with your list prepared from home and it is unlikely that you will buy more than necessary.

You see the next time you go shopping, you will have these savings tricks to beat supermarket strategies. Don’t forget them!