Buzz
If you’ve ever popped into the supermarket for just one thing, only to leave with a full cart, you’ve experienced the sneaky tactics stores use to get you to spend more.
For instance, it’s no accident that pricier goods are often placed on shelves right at eye level. Similarly, the 99 price tag trick is well-known: Our brains tend to round down the price, making a $3.99 bag of chips feel like it costs just $3 instead of $4.
The layout of a grocery store is carefully planned—especially the placement of the produce section at the front. When you walk in, the vibrant display of fruits and vegetables, misted with water, invites you to fill your basket. (The misting showers also add weight, and therefore, price.) Featuring bright flowers near the entrance amplifies this overall sense of freshness.
As Paco Underhill, author of Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping, explained in a 2010 interview with the Chicago Tribune, “supermarkets often light their produce sections in a way that makes everything appear more appealing than it will once you bring it home. Stores know that if they can stimulate your senses, you'll likely spend more.” Underhill also notes that bakeries are often near the entrance for the same reason.
If your first stop in the store is to grab healthy items like English cucumbers (wrapped in plastic for a reason), honeycrisp apples, and other fresh options, you may feel more justified in picking up indulgent treats later. Grocery stores are designed to maximize the area you cover, and one way they do this is by placing the dairy section at the back, forcing anyone in need of milk, eggs, butter, or other staples to walk past irresistible, but unnecessary, extras along the way.
