None — PITTSBURGH -- Did you spend more than you planned the last time you went to the grocery store? Well, it's by design. Target 11 Consumer Investigator Robin Taylor exposes the secrets stores use to get you to spend more money.
Grocery chains spend a lot of money on research to figure out how to entice you to spend more money each time you shop. Their techniques may be subtle, but they work. Yet, if you know about the tricks, you may be less likely to fall for them.
Marketing professor David Stewart is an expert in consumer behavior. He says nothing in your grocery store is there by chance.
"They observe people from the time they walk into the store until the time they walk out. They develop patterns of shopping. They look at how people move through the store and compare that to what people actually bought at the counter. It's a real science," said Stewart.
Of course, grocery stores are known for putting milk, bread and eggs in the back of the store so you have to walk through the store to get them, but Stewart says there are other things they do as well.
"If you have the wrong color lights, the reds won't come out, the yellows, oranges, everything will look dull, like it's dusty. With the right lighting, everything kind of pops out," said Stewart.
Good lighting can also bring out the appearance of freshness in the meat.
Another important trick is getting shoppers to stop. Some stores actually install small speed bumps or use textured floors.
Product placement is always a factor. Items like flour and sugar don't get the best
The best advice to beat the shopping traps is to make a list. Decide what you're going to buy before you walk into the store and stick to it. If you do, you're less likely to be influenced by all the displays, the lighting or even the bumpy floors.
Experts: Grocery store designs can make consumers spend more
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