We’ve all been there. Popping into the supermarket for a few essentials, only to come out laden with shopping bags chock-full of Tim Tams (they were two for the price of one).
If you’ve fallen into this trap before, you’re definitely not alone. Supermarkets are specifically designed to lure you in and get you spending. And the evidence suggests it’s processed foods and junk at the top of Big Supermarket’s’ shopping list.
Here are some of the ways supermarkets are getting us to buy more junk food. And what you can do to avoid them.
Prime position.
If supermarkets were a hip new club, the end of each aisle and the checkouts would definitely be the VIP areas. It’s where all the companies want their products to be seen – because visibility means we’re more likely to buy up big.
Research shows that these top promotional areas in Aussie supermarkets are much more likely to contain junk food than fresh fruit and veg. One Melbourne study found four out of every 10 end-of-aisle displays in supermarkets promoted junk food, while almost every supermarket checkout displays some form of junky treat.
And it’s certainly having an effect on our buying. A recent UK study found that placing soft drinks at the end of aisles increased their sales by a whopping 52 per cent! Imagine what could happen if supermarkets swapped out Coca Cola for coconut water!
In the right place.
The products that supermarkets most want you to buy are placed at eye height. So they’re usually products with the highest profit margins (hello, mass-produced packaged foods).
The placement of particular foods in the aisles works particularly well on little ones. Research shows as much as 88 per cent of food requested by kids at supermarkets is unhealthy. So supermarkets place these kinds of foods at kid-friendly heights to induce temper tantrums, wearing down already weary parents.
Everything must go.
Sales that encourage us to buy more of something at a cheaper price are highly-effective supermarket sales tools. But these types of sales actually wind up causing us to eat – and waste – much more food than we normally would.
You might think that seven-pack of mini chocolate yoghurts will last all week, but will you really stop at one per night? Meanwhile, that kilo of apples at half price might seem like a great deal, but not if you can’t eat them before they start growing legs and walking out of the crisper!
Pairing up.
Supermarkets love to suggest food pairings to encourage impulse buys. That’s why you might find a pyramid of Nutella next to the fresh strawberries or packaged sauces next to the pasta.
It might seem pretty convenient, but it also means you’re more likely to opt for the packaged version, or convince yourself those fresh berries will taste better covered in sugary hazelnut spread.
Tips to foil the tricks.
Being aware of these traps will put you in a better position to avoid them on your next shop. But there are other things you can do, too.
- Keep a list and stick to it: Shopping with a clear plan will eliminate impulse buys.
- Never shop hungry: Research shows hungry shoppers will buy more high-calorie foods than those who do their shopping on a full stomach.
- Just JERF instead: When you’re just eating real food, you’ll tend to stick to the fresh food and produce areas of the store, where you will be less exposed to junky temptresses.
What other supermarket traps have you fallen into?
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