Pitfalls are built into grocery stores
Toolbox
By JAN NORRIS Cox News Service - Published: January 23, 2005
You've entered the grocery maze. The bakery's fresh-from-the-oven smells get you as you enter the store. You pick up doughnuts, even though they're not on your shopping list or your diet. Two points for the store.
You only want to buy bread and milk, but they're in the back of the store. On the way, you see a new brand of olives that looks great. Into your basket they go. Two more points for the store.
Standing in the checkout line, you browse a home design magazine and get hooked on a story. Gotta have it. Two more points for the store.
You've been had by Grocery Store Design. Don't feel too bad; you're not alone.
Eye appeal, layout, music or not, color — all of these play a role in selling groceries. Learning how a store sells can save you money if you know how to shop it wisely.
For instance, sales, or "loss leaders," are usually on end-of-aisle shelving called end caps.
"Most of our specials are displayed on end caps, but we do have some throughout the aisles as well," said Scott Bates, manager of a Winn-Dixie in Florida.
While that may be par for the course, however, the company is bucking a trend in the layout of this new store — it has wide aisles and huge pockets of empty floor space, making the store appear spacious and user-friendly.
They've also put bread, milk, juices and eggs in a case at the front of the store, for easy grab-and-go shopping. This is opposite of most other grocers that force shoppers to weave through vast aisles to find most-used products at their far corners.
Typically, the most expensive items are placed at eye level; kids' cereals are at their hands' level. The bakery is generally in the front of the store so its tempting aromas waft over shoppers as they enter. It's a hunger trigger at work, and a hungry shopper spends more, research shows. Magazines have their own sections in most stores, but there are those "last minute" temptations at the checkout counter. Shoppers must wait in line, perhaps a magazine will grab them — and they grab it. More impulse buying.
Brightly colored signs hang from shelves, point to items or encase whole shelf units. But guess what? These items aren't on sale — it's all to get your attention.
The savvy shopper can work through this maze of marketing ploys with a little advance planning and yes, some willpower.
We compiled tips from several sources, including grocery store spokespeople, consumer aid Web sites and marketing experts on shopping and saving money.
Here are the basics:
Plan ahead
A whole week ahead. Make out menus for the week, including breakfast and lunch items, plans for leftovers and any other foods needed.
Make a list
The list should be based on your menus. Check your supply of kitchen staples as well.
Clip coupons
Go through coupon sources — the newspaper, magazines, circulars and your own coupon files — and pull coupons for items you know you'll need. Avoid taking coupons to the store for items you aren't interested in; this spurs impulse buying.
Eat first
Don't shop while tired or hungry, and go alone. Studies show that people who shop when they're rushed or hungry or with kids spend more. (However, if you shop with a friend with whom you can split bulk items, it can work to your advantage in savings.)
Check for sales
Pick up circulars on your way in the door, and look over the coupons posted as well. Be aware of coupons available beside certain items as you shop, or coupons placed directly on the product for redeeming at the checkout stand. (Tip: Cashiers sometimes miss those on-product coupons, so make a point of putting them all in one place in your shopping cart and point them out as they are scanned.)
Read the shelves
Read and compare shelf pricing, especially for coupon items or bulk goods. Sometimes, bigger isn't better, and coupons aren't really a savings if you must buy in a quantity you won't use.
Don't pay for ads
Look at brand names vs. house brands. Even with coupons, name brand products such as plastic bags or foil may be more expensive than a generic or house brand that's virtually identical.
Peek
Lift up the signs when possible, and look at the original price of an item. Sometimes, signs are posted on goods at regular price, and though they don't actually say "sale," they give the appearance of a discount.
Look around
Closely check the price of goods on ends of aisles. Customers are used to seeing sale items there, and frequently, non-sale items will be mixed in. Eye-level products are the most expensive; look up and on the bottom shelf as well — bargains are to be found there.
Time vs. money
Weigh convenience against price when it comes to prepared foods. For instance, cut-up melons can be expensive; but it takes little time to clean and cube a cantaloupe and put it into a refrigerator container — and yours is fresher.
That's the same with cubed meat (diced ham, or beef for stew), chicken parts (a substantial savings is there for people willing to cut up a whole bird), shredded cheeses, bread and cracker crumbs, and numerous other prepared foods that are easily made at home.
Pay attention at the end
At the checkout, hand over your coupons up front so you don't forget. Use your discount card if you have one, or ask to use a "house" card, available in most stores. Ask for a rain check on any items that were on special and out of stock. Watch the scanner; mistakes happen.
Stay in control
Lots of tempting stuff is placed at the cashier for impulse buys. Avoid them. Instead, watch to make sure all your items get into your shopping bags.
Save receipts
Keep your receipts; often, there are coupons printed on the back of them to redeem later. You also can budget your food dollars most closely by keeping track of what you shop for most often and check sale prices against their previous price.
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