Supermarkets have many ‘traps’ that have been designed to make consumers spend more than planned.
But with a little planning and discipline, we as consumers can get past every ‘trap’ that has been set by the supermarket.
In this article, the INTRADAY team will 'unpack' how supermarkets generate revenue.
The moment you enter the supermarket, your senses have been ‘played’. There is a supermarket that puts up a bread counter at the entrance, so consumers are already enjoying freshly baked bread.
Then with the soft music played by the supermarket, all this has been ‘designed’ to make you feel relaxed and not in a hurry. So you can spend a lot of time buying stuff.
If you are like most others, of course you will start buying items in the fresh goods section like fruits and vegetables. Studies say when we fill a cart with healthy food, consumers will ‘reward’ themselves by buying snacks.
Sometimes, we will be easily tempted too to buy fruits that have been cut in the supermarket. However, if you compare the price based on the weight of the fruit, you may have to pay about 200-300% of the price of an uncut fruit.
Cut vegetables and fruits also shorten the shelf life of the product, to your detriment.
After that, the fruit we see is juicy or ‘juicy’ as if fresh, just for show only. The supermarket just sprays water on the fruits.
However, constant water spraying increases the chances for bacteria to grow on fruits and vegetables as well as can cause them to spoil quickly.
In addition, spraying water on vegetables can also make the vegetables heavy, thus becoming expensive when weighed. You are advised to shake the vegetables first before buying.
When we choose products that are stacked on supermarket shelves, make sure you look from top to bottom because expensive products will be placed in a place that is easily visible to consumers in the hope that you don’t notice cheaper products that are placed at the bottom.
Free samples given in supermarkets also provoke our emotions rather than tastes. For example, when you have tasted the free sample and heard an explanation of the product from the seller, of course you will be interested in buying the item.
The supermarket not only wants consumers to buy expensive items but wants you to buy as many items as possible. For example, the promotion of carbonated water sold 6 cans in one pack.
Many people think that buying a pack like that will save money but in fact it will not. If you do a re-balance, the price per unit of the product is the same no matter how much you buy.
Trolleys also play an important role. Marketing tests show that buyers will spend over 40% of your money when using a cart that is twice the size.
The large size of the trolley also makes it difficult for you to make a ‘U -turn’ when going through each product shelf space, so you have to use a long route.
The farther you travel with the trolley in the supermarket, the higher your craving for adding ‘unplanned’ items.
After you have finished choosing the items you want, there is another ‘obstacle’ that needs to be overcome which is when queuing at the cashier’s counter.
Often in the checkout counter area, supermarkets will stack items such as sweets, chocolates, magazines and ice cream. The supermarket knows that when you are at the counter, you are experiencing ‘decision fatigue’, according to psychologists.
Your decisions will be controlled by shopping fatigue, so when you’re tired, you won’t think very much about saving anymore. That factor will make you take the items displayed in the cashier’s section as a reward for yourself.
The strategy has been refined over the decades for consumers to shop more.
What is not good, those who tend to buy a lot of these items will also waste. But buying goods from the supermarket and cooking at home is cheaper and healthier than eating out.
The rare habit of cooking at home is one of the main reasons why millennials have trouble saving money because they eat out too often.
So, how are we going to prepare from getting caught up in supermarket tricks?
First of all, list what you want to buy on paper or most simply, in your smartphone. Also, choose a small cart to avoid overspending.
Use earplugs and listen to lively songs while shopping in the supermarket as it will keep you more focused.
Most importantly, don’t go to the supermarket when your stomach is hungry because that will make you want to buy all the stuff.
As a consumer, you need to be smart when shopping and not be extravagant when shopping.
