11 Tricks Your Supermarket Uses That You've Probably Never Noticed

Ever wondered why you shop the way you do?

Have you ever wondered why most supermarkets seem to have the same layout? This is because behavioural psychologists have mapped out a design which helps to manipulate how we shop and to maximise spend.

Here's some of the things they do...

1. Place fruits and vegetables near the entrance of the shop.

Dglimages / Getty Images

Putting flowers, fruit and veg at the front of the shop doesn't really make logical sense, since if they're at the bottom of your basket they're more at risk of being bruised or crushed, BUT there is a reason why they're almost always placed here. They give the illusion of freshness and healthiness. They uplift people's spirits and therefore put shoppers in a good mood. And what does a good mood equal? More propensity to spend.

2. Give you lots of tasty free samples.

@mgxcl1 / Twitter / Via Twitter: @MgxCL1

Name me a person that doesn't like free food? That's right, there aren't any. Everyone loves an unexpected and purse friendly snack and supermarkets utilise free samples to a) keep you in there for longer, b) to make you more loyal, and c) to introduce you to new lines that they are either struggling to sell, or have high margins.

3. Design one-way exit and entrance doors.

Mark R Coons / Getty Images

If your supermarket has an exit door across the shop from the entrance it means that you can't just nip in and then decide to leave, but instead you need to navigate your way around the whole store to get out. And when you're finding your way around you might just stumble into something you just have to buy right there and then.

4. Put essentials in seemingly random places.

Getty Images / iStock / BuzzFeed

Ever come in for eggs and ended up wandering around the supermarket aimlessly? Haven't we all? This is because basics such as eggs, milk and bread are purposefully placed around the supermarket so that you end up passing by lots of stuff that you might want and therefore, may end up spending more money than you intended to spend. Sneaky, right?

5. Play slooooooww music so that you spend more.

Andy Stobbart @anorthernbullet

Terrible state of affairs this but the place I hear the best music player these days is the supermarket #old

03:05 PM - 21 Jan 2020

Via Twitter: @anorthernbullet

Even the music that is piped into your local grocery store is designed to make you spend and shop more. Supermarkets and shops in general tend to play slower music which encourages you to take your time and walk at a more leisurely pace. This then enables you to discover and explore more, and subsequently put more in your basket.

Also, after around 23 minutes of shopping, we start to make more emotional and less practical decisions, so when we may have told ourselves at the start that we didn't need that chocolate, by the end we'll feel like we do.

6. Place cheaper iterations of the same product are on lower shelves.

Getty Images / iStock / BuzzFeed

This encourages you to spend more on the name brand items which are in your eyeline and then just happen to be more expensive. Sneaky.

7. Put children's items on lower shelves so they're within their eyeline.

Machineheadz / Getty Images

Ever seen a kid crying in the magazine aisle because their mum or dad won't let them buy a My Little Pony magazine? Yep? Well, their parent has just become a victim of "pester power" – where kids items are placed lower down so they see them and then want them.

8. Advertise multi-buy offers that probably don't even save you money.

Darlene Rodriguez @Darlene4NY

Me: I’m starving, there’s nothing to eat at home. Everyone: Don’t go to the supermarket hungry. Me:

06:42 PM - 05 Mar 2019

Getty Images / iStock / BuzzFeed

Have you ever bought two or three of something just because there was an offer on? And are those multiple items either now in the bin or still waiting to be used? Happens to the best of us. Supermarkets use clever marketing to make us feel like any deals that they have on are must-have deals, when really you're probably spending more money than you need to.

9. Made trolleys larger than ever before.

Getty Images / iStock / BuzzFeed

If you've only come to the shops for a couple of things then leave the trolley where it is. Over time trolleys have become bigger and it isn't a mystery as to why – the emptier a trolley looks, the more we want to fill it with unnecessary buys!

10. "Forget" to hang a clock.

Getty Images / iStock / BuzzFeed

Yep, this one is simple – no clock, no concept of time, and therefore you might while away more time in there. While phones now mean that most of us can check the time with just a quick flick of the hand, this layover from times gone by has stood the test of time and you probably won't find a clock in your local store.

11. Place special offers at the end of shelves so they're more visible.

Vtt Studio / Getty Images

Items on promotion are usually always placed at the end of a shelf in order to stand out more so they are more likely to catch your eye. So, next time you're desperately trying to locate the eggs in the supermarket try not to run fall foul of this trick.