Betcha didn't know some of these

HEhehe, didn't realise that i was walking into traps every week. This is too good not to share. Beware the next time when you push the shopping trolley, muahaha.

Here are some of the traditional (as well as a few more unexpected) ploys used by supermarkets to encourage you to spend more than you might have planned to (taken from www.choice.com.au) :

• In your face: More expensive items tend to be right in the line of sight of the target consumer. Cheaper or supermarket own-brands tend to be located on the higher or lower shelves.
  
• Sensory delights: It’s very common to position attractive fresh produce or a bakery at the entry. Does the deli section with its medley of colours and tasty offerings then follow? The aim is that the sights and smells grab your interest and put you into shopping mood as you’re led through the labyrinth to the less interesting packaged dry goods and the strategically placed impulse-buy items.
  
• Where are the eggs? Probably nowhere near the milk or bread. Separation of popular staples is a common element of supermarket design. Why? So you’ll spend more time in the store negotiating your way past all those flashy and tempting impulse-buy items.
  
• Sacrificial lambs: Supermarkets, particularly those with strong local competition, offer ‘loss leaders’ — heavily discounted and advertised goods that are designed to get you into the store. The idea is that you’ll pick up a few more items while you’re there. And don’t be surprised if you find them near high-cost ‘glamour’ products.
  
• This goes with that: Positioning ‘natural’ combinations like chips with dips or biscuits near tea and coffee may seem logical, but is it any wonder that it increases the sales of both?
  
• The trouble with trolleys is that it’s very easy to fill them up. If this is you, consider carrying one or even two baskets instead — you’ll find the weight of all those impulse buys good for discipline.
  
• Super specials? Appearances can be deceptive. Are those cosmetics in the ‘bargain bin’ at the end of the aisle really discounted? And not mention out of date??
  
• Checkout tempters: Magazines and confectionery live here. How many times have you succumbed to the temptation or been nagged into buying by your kids?
  
• Research also suggests that grocery shoppers are heavily influenced by instore displays, particularly at the end of the aisles and at the checkout. Keep this in mind when navigating through the store. Don’t assume they’re automatically a special offer — compare their price with the same items that aren’t being promoted.
  
• At the Food and Brand Lab, University of Illinois, researchers found that promotions using multi-unit pricing (for example, three for $3), purchase suggestions (‘stock up for Easter’) or with purchase limits (‘limit three per customer’) increased the amount consumers purchased. “All three types of promotion increase purchase amounts by 30% to 105% over what consumers would normally plan on buying,” it said.
  
• Other research showed that more than 50% of shoppers couldn’t resist a ‘buy-one-get-one-free’ promotion. But did you even need one in the first place, never mind two?