If you ’ve ever ducked into thesupermarketfor a single item and walked out with a cartful of hooey , you ’re not alone . foodstuff stores have lashings ofclever waysof tricking shopper into spending more money .
For instance , it ’s not a coincidence that more expensive items tend to be on shelf right at eye tier . It ’s also not for nothing thatso many price end in99 : Because we ’re used to reading from left to rightfulness , our brains fundamentally neglect the99and efficaciously lash out the Mary Leontyne Price down by nearly a dollar mark . Instead of perceiving a $ 3.99 bag of bit as costing $ 4 , we ’re more likely to find like it costs $ 3 .
Grocery storelayouts are strategical , too — and there ’s a reason the green goods incision is so often situate in the front . When you enter a store , it ’s hard to pass up the chance to fill your basket with a vibrant raiment of fruit and vegetables , glisten with urine that makes them look specially clean . ( The frequentspray showersalso help make them weigh more , and therefore cost more . ) possess colourful flowers for cut-rate sale up front can helpmagnifythis overall impression of freshness .
As Paco Underhill , author ofWhy We Buy : The Science of Shopping , told theChicago Tribuneback in 2010 , “ the produce subdivision tends to be lit stagily , so that everything looks well in the store than it ever will when you get it home . Almost every supermarket sleep with that if they can get your spittle secretory organ working , you will lean to buy more . ” According to Underhill , the bakery is typically close to the door for the same reason .
And if the first thing you do is adulterate up on English cucumbers ( plastic - envelop for a purpose),honeycrisp orchard apple tree , and other nutrient options , you just might feelentitledto pick up someless healthy fareas you progress through the premises . grocery store computer storage have methods of making you overcompensate as much ground as potential , too . One of them is placing the dairy farm section in the back of the store , so any shopper with milk , orchis , butter , or another dairy farm staple fiber on their lean will have to walk retiring plenty of less necessary — but hard to resist — extras on their way .
[ h / tChicago Tribune ]
