Everyone is trying to save as much money as they can more than we ever have done in the past. The reason for this is that the economy is bad and even though there were some signs of it getting better, it isn’t.
So we do our best to make the most of every dollar, only buy what is necessary in order to have money left over to pay the bills and save a little just in case of an emergency.
But just as we are struggling to survive so are the big companies, such as retail stores.
Now with the retail stores we seem to be able to hold off on buying big ticket items. We are sticking to what we really need and nothing more. There are attractive sales out there but we can ignore them, we know right now is not the time to get those items.
However, we don’t seem to have the same ability at the grocery store. We take a grocery list with us; we buy everything on there and more. You get home and you wonder why you bought the items you did, especially since you don’t seem to need it at this time or at all.
Why is that? Well it is the way the store sets up its items. They have done enough research to know our weak points. They have learned a few things and set up a few tricks to make sure we spend more than we need to.
REARRANGING PRODUCTS
The grocery stores have found that they can get us to purchase items we don’t really need by putting them in front of us. They place the products that are most popular in the middle of the aisle so that by the time you get to them, you purchase other products because they are there. Avoid purchasing things you don’t need, just get what you need.
SAMPLES
They did research where it shows that even though you are not hungry, the minute you taste a sample, you are no longer able to be a disciplined shopper. Best thing to do is to do all your groceries first and leave the samples for last, right before going to the checkout counter.
ENTRANCE
Stores now place certain items at the entrance of the store. They will place bulk items, holiday products and things such as DVDs. These are things that appear to you emotionally, which make you buy impulsively. When you see these items, don’t walk by, stop and linger around a bit. You will notice these are not products or items you really need right now. This allows you to pass them by in the aisle when you’re shopping inside the store.
SPECIALS
Many stores will run specials and when you see them you think, “I have to get them and take advantage of the sale”. Well before you do this; really check the item out, is it really a good deal. Many stores will double the regular the price of the item and then sell the item as buy one get one free. A good bargain is if the product was originally $3.00 and if you buy the second one it's free, which means you get it for $1.50 each item. Here they have not increased the cost and you are getting a bargain.