11 Surprising Ways Grocery Stores Get You To Spend More
It's straight up shopping cart trickery.
By 
We've all been there before: you run into the store to grab coffee and toothpaste, and 20 minutes later, end up with a half a cart full of energy bars and beach snacks (and about $100 worth of other useless-but-adorable junk if you're shopping at Target). While getting out of the grocery store without blowing your budget might feel like a losing battle, it might not be all your fault. The next time you're knocking out your grocery shopping keep an eye out for these subtle tricks grocery stores pull to make you spend more money.
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Presenting Related Items Together
Ever walked by product display that has every single thing you need for homemade guacamole or a tailgate party all spread out, just waiting for you to buy it? That's intentional. Displaying products together ups the likelihood that you'll buy all of them, rather than just picking up the chips and salsa you came in for.
It's 'Fruit-Forward' for a Reason
Ever noticed how the produce section is always toward the front of the store? According to Reader's Digest, the bright colors put you in a good mood and make you ready to shop.
Impulse Aisles
These last-minute sections are one of the biggest culprits for getting shoppers to overspend. Heck, who hasn't grabbed a new $4 flavor of eos lip balm right at the last second? Pay attention to the prices here, too; it's not unusual for items to be more expensive next to the register. To avoid racking up last minute spends, always shop with a list, and avoid peak grocery store hours — they'll have you waiting in line longer, which means more time to splurge.
Price Drops
Tweaking the price of an item to make you think you're getting a deal is one way grocery stores sucker you into buying more. In reality, the sale could be as little as $0.75 off — which ends up being a drop in the bucket compared to the $6 price tag (especially when you weren't even going to buy it in the first place).
Bundled Packages
Those buy two, get one free packages and deals might seem like a great bang for your back, but only when the item you're bundling is something you use every single day. For example, if you're buying cleaning products, odds are, you'll forget how much you have and keep buying replacement stock every time you go to the store. And forget about perishables; they're more likely to go bad before you have a chance to use them.
Putting the Most Expensive Items at Eye Level
Going to the grocery store is hectic enough as is, and most shoppers will do anything to get out quickly. By putting expensive products at eye level where you're more likely to see them, stores up the odds of you buying the priciest items first. And apparently, this is one of just a few psychology tricks stores employ to encourage spending.
Individually-Wrapped Packages
Here's the thing: the cost of 10 mini bags might is usually more expensive than one big bag, and odds are, you're actually getting less overall. Stick to bulk bags for things like chips, crackers, and lunch supplies.
Holiday and Seasonal Supplies
By putting seasonal packaging and products front and center, grocery stores are creating a sense of timeliness and urgency around seasonal goods that don't exist in regular months. Translation: you're way more likely to buy the Easter Oreos even if you have a perfectly good bag at home.
Unit Pricing
Show me anyone who understands how to calculate unit pricing off the top of their head, and I'll show you a grocery store queen. Pricing by unit helps grocery stores keep the actual price of an item nebulous, making over-spending far more likely.
Using Coupons
Whether they're good for 10% off or $0.25 off, coupons incentivize spending. What's worse, they often require you to buy more than one of a particular item to get the discount. Be choosy with your coupons, and only use ones that give you the discount free and clear, no strings attached.
Providing Oversized Carts
Turns out, those shopping carts are big enough to fit a person for a reason. Large carts give the illusion that you haven't grabbed too much, which triggers your mind to think it's okay to keep shopping. Go with a smaller basket to avoid the trickery of a roomy shopping cart.
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