Behind the grocery cart: How stores influence your buy
Supermarkets are strategically designed to encourage customers to make as many purchases as possible. The interior design and layout are the result of a meticulously developed strategy. An interesting example is the functioning of the wheels on shopping carts.
Most of us do a large grocery shop at least once a week. We usually intend to buy only the essential items and leave the store quickly. However, in reality, we often leave with a full cart and a hefty bill. Why does this happen? The answer lies in psychological tricks implemented by supermarkets. What exactly is behind this?
Can shopping be a "test" for a person?
Even before entering the store, you encounter the first tactics. You're greeted by rows of carts — often too large for your needs, but the lack of an alternative forces you to use them. Moreover, some of them have problems with the wheels — wobbly, locking up, not moving smoothly. This is not accidental. By moving more slowly between shelves, the store gains from the start.
The slower pace of moving through the store ensures that more products catch your eye. At the end of each aisle, there are attractive promotional offers, and discounts are particularly tempting. As a result, the cart quickly fills up with items that were not originally on the shopping list, simply because they seem like a good deal. Furthermore, a large cart makes it look almost empty, which encourages us to add more products.
It's worth paying attention to the details
Have you noticed that supermarkets rarely have windows and clocks? This is deliberately done to keep you inside the store; seeing the time of day change could prompt a quicker exit. Another psychological trick is the gentle, relaxing music, which encourages a slower pace and longer stay in the store, making shopping more comfortable.
Also, pay attention to the placement of goods on the shelves. The most expensive and profitable products for the store are at eye level, while cheaper ones are on the lower shelves, where we rarely look. However, there is an exception.
Expensive sweets are placed lower, so children can easily reach them. Cunning, isn't it? It's these techniques that make us finish shopping with many unnecessary products in our bags. Sometimes, we even forget what we originally came for and return home without the needed items, forcing us to go shopping again, and the scenario repeats.
