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23
Data Scientist Trains People To Resist Spending At Supermarkets By Exposing Their Dirty Tricks
You’ve likely been in a situation where a supposedly quick trip to the grocery store left you with a significant dent in your wallet. You’re left wondering how it all happened as you stare at your lengthy receipt of items you didn’t need.
Apparently, supermarkets use “psychological tricks” to keep people spending more. In a recent post on Threads, data scientist Dr. Hussein Naji shared nine of these methods and tips on avoiding the trap of unnecessary purchases.
If your ballooning grocery bill has been a headache, Dr. Naji’s insights may provide some answers.
RELATED:
For many people, overspending at the grocery store has been a cause for financial burden
Image credits: unsplash (not the actual photo)
Recently, data scientist Dr. Hussein Naji shared nine “psychological tricks” supermarkets use to keep consumers spending
Image credits: unsplash (not the actual photo)
Dr. Naji also shared some tips to avoid making unnecessary purchases
Image credits: unsplash (not the actual photo)
Image credits: husseinnaji_
There are statistics to back up Dr. Naji’s claims
Image credits: unsplash (not the actual photo)
To put Dr. Naji’s insights into perspective, here are some statistics from the University of Southern California, which examine the psychology of consumer behavior in a grocery store.
30% of shoppers are willing to pay more for organic products or products with an “organic” label. Three out of four consumers make some of their buying decisions in-store, which may contribute to more spending.
Likewise, consumers may leave an average of $11 for unplanned purchases on their “mental budgets.”
Dr. Naji mentioned that supermarkets “weaken your willpower,” but didn’t specify the methods. Maryville University associate professor Dustin York says grocery chains do this through digital coupons.
“The grocers can then utilize the most powerful resource in the world to target you for personalized marketing, which is your data,” York told Business Insider.
Dr. Naji’s tips may be helpful. Avoiding grocery shopping while hungry lessens the chances of picking up a few extra bags of potato chips to address the enticement. Limiting the time spent in the supermarket may also urge you to approach your shopping with a sense of urgency.
But another way to decrease your grocery bill is to pick items that are beyond eye level. Author Tiffany Doerr Guerzon has been researching methods to cut the supermarket budget.
As she tells HuffPost, stores place more expensive products at eye level because it is human nature to pick them out by convenience.
“Next time you are in the store, take note of where items are placed. You may have to reach up or down for better deals,” she said.
Other users shared their grocery shopping observations and experiences in the comments
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Ace 9 months ago
Love the way they have to call him a "scientist" as if to add weight to his restating of supermarket marketing tactics that have been well known to the rest of the world for 40 years or more. He should also mention the smell of fresh baked bread being piped near to the entrance, and of freshly brewed coffee once you get inside.
Taibhse Sealgair 9 months ago
These are either nonsense or common sense. We have two major chain grocery stores close by. One has fruit/veg up in front right corner, the other back left. Wait! We don't walk down every aisle? I don't drive down every street in my neighborhood either. One of our grocery stores has smaller milk and bread displays right up front by the cash registers. Wait? People _don't_ want to shop in super humid, super hot, dark, and dirty stores?? Whodathunk? NONE of the five nearby grocery stores play music. Does anyone any more?
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Hoi-Polloi 9 months ago
Well... I like the one where they make lighting, humidity levels, and temperature pleasant for shoppers. What are they supposed to do... deliberately drive people out of the store? While these guys do pull some fast ones, they don't "make you" spend more. It's on us to buy healthy food, and not exceed our budgets.
Tabitha 9 months ago
I make a list that I stick to, and am actually really good at resisting temptation—-mostly because I spent a lot of years living paycheck to paycheck and simply couldn’t afford it—-but I am definitely not going to be in and out of the grocery store in 23 minutes for my regular weekly shop (I’m OK with quick in-and-outs). I read labels, compare products and prices, and usually choose generics over name brands. I also clip coupons, and still compare prices (if the coupon price is still higher than the generic, forget that coupon). That’s the careful type of shopping I learned to do when I wasn’t as well off as I am today. I had to live that way for so long, it’s a habit that’s stuck with me. Actually, I really don’t want to break it, as frugality and smart shopping should be the norm anyway.
Mike F 9 months ago
This, this and more of this! Simply because an individual has a PhD (Piled higher and Deeper) doesn't automatically give them the ability to lump consumers like we have no sense. Who doesn't shop with a list in the last 10 or so years? Who doesn't look up and down to avoid the higher priced items at eye level on the shelves? I'd like to think that folks have sense enough to call up the ad(s) for the market(s) they are shopping and make their list from there. We're not sheep, meandering through the aisles just blindly grabbing items and throwing them into our wheelbarrow sized shopping cart! 🤬
Load More Replies... Ace 9 months ago
Love the way they have to call him a "scientist" as if to add weight to his restating of supermarket marketing tactics that have been well known to the rest of the world for 40 years or more. He should also mention the smell of fresh baked bread being piped near to the entrance, and of freshly brewed coffee once you get inside.
Taibhse Sealgair 9 months ago
These are either nonsense or common sense. We have two major chain grocery stores close by. One has fruit/veg up in front right corner, the other back left. Wait! We don't walk down every aisle? I don't drive down every street in my neighborhood either. One of our grocery stores has smaller milk and bread displays right up front by the cash registers. Wait? People _don't_ want to shop in super humid, super hot, dark, and dirty stores?? Whodathunk? NONE of the five nearby grocery stores play music. Does anyone any more?
Load More Replies... Hoi-Polloi 9 months ago
Well... I like the one where they make lighting, humidity levels, and temperature pleasant for shoppers. What are they supposed to do... deliberately drive people out of the store? While these guys do pull some fast ones, they don't "make you" spend more. It's on us to buy healthy food, and not exceed our budgets.
Tabitha 9 months ago
I make a list that I stick to, and am actually really good at resisting temptation—-mostly because I spent a lot of years living paycheck to paycheck and simply couldn’t afford it—-but I am definitely not going to be in and out of the grocery store in 23 minutes for my regular weekly shop (I’m OK with quick in-and-outs). I read labels, compare products and prices, and usually choose generics over name brands. I also clip coupons, and still compare prices (if the coupon price is still higher than the generic, forget that coupon). That’s the careful type of shopping I learned to do when I wasn’t as well off as I am today. I had to live that way for so long, it’s a habit that’s stuck with me. Actually, I really don’t want to break it, as frugality and smart shopping should be the norm anyway.
Mike F 9 months ago
This, this and more of this! Simply because an individual has a PhD (Piled higher and Deeper) doesn't automatically give them the ability to lump consumers like we have no sense. Who doesn't shop with a list in the last 10 or so years? Who doesn't look up and down to avoid the higher priced items at eye level on the shelves? I'd like to think that folks have sense enough to call up the ad(s) for the market(s) they are shopping and make their list from there. We're not sheep, meandering through the aisles just blindly grabbing items and throwing them into our wheelbarrow sized shopping cart! 🤬
Load More Replies...
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