Person Exposes 22 Sinister Supermarket Tactics They Use Everyday That You Might Not Know About
More often than not I end up leaving the supermarket with a full bag of groceries when I only came for milk and bread. I suspect I am far from the only one. The invisible pull that makes your arm pick up something you don’t need and add it to your basket is incredible. Are we talking some extraterrestrial powers here?
Well, the content creator and entrepreneur Max Klymenko has some answers. In his TikTok series that went viral all over the platform, Max explains what kind of marketing tactics supermarkets use to make us buy more. From lighting to product placement and the fact that essential items you came in for are impossible to find, everything there is laid out so that we fall into an unconscious cycle of spending.
Scroll down below to see Max’s points and let me tell you, your next grocery shopping will not look and feel the same!
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We reached out to Max Klymenko, the creator behind this viral TikTok series who runs a creative agency called Klym&Co. The agency works on educational campaigns around the globe, and I make videos online about business, brands and psychology.
Max moved to the UK from Ukraine 10 years ago. “Right now, most of my work is focused on stopping the war in Ukraine. I’m Ukrainian and that’s the most important issue for me,” Max told us and added that “Both my personal content and agency work is directed at stopping Russian aggression and supporting Ukrainian victims in different ways.” Please follow Max’s TikTok and Instagram on new updates on Russia’s war with Ukraine, and the ways to help Ukrainian people defend their freedom.
I use it because I don't want to interact with anyone and do any small talk. Also, most lines with a cashier are long and/or customers have full carts, and not many people in line for the self-checkout, so the self-checkout process is often quicker since you're not waiting on others to finish.
Also products aimed at kids like candies or any goods with colorful toy freebies are placed at kid's eye level
When asked how Max got into creating TikTok videos, he recounted: “I saw my teenage sister using the app and wanted to get on it too. She told me I was too old and boring for it at first, but now she likes my videos for the most part!”
If you wonder whether supermarkets who run such marketing tricks on shoppers are acting ethically, Math said “Look, I run a business too. I don’t think it’s particularly unethical.” He explained: “Perhaps it is manipulative but not with malicious intent. Plus there’s me and other creators to tell the world about their tactics so that the consumers are more aware of what marketing & sales strategies they are exposed to.”
For anyone who wants to be aware of the marketing traps while shopping, Max urges people to watch his videos. “I think being aware of them makes a big difference. But at the same time, it’s important to realize that so much of our world is defined by advertising. Think about the most famous city on the planet, NYC. You immediately think of Times Square. Which is simply a street with a bunch of ads…”
Not at all. Grocery stores are food storage places. It's for energy efficiency and product protection. Windows let out heat, greatly affecting temperature control, which 100% of supermarkets need to track. Products not sold fast enough fade or rot in sunlight. Windows also limit space and layouts. Windows would help customers but they're bad for the actual business. There's studies that explain it.
One research says it does, another says it does not. It's probably just a side effect. Actually, everything fresh (fruits, meat, fish, bakery) are together. Often they are also the most staffed, and visible. It's just more pleasing than aisles full of inert goods and skittish clerks. Moreso, fruits and veggies are the ones that require the least backstore equipment (oven, grinder, fridge) which is why the other fresh are more often against the back wall..
the local Stop & Shop (big grocery chain in the New York/tri-state area) has the deli counter on one side of the store (along with the bakery department), but the packaged bread aisle (where most people here get their sandwich bread) is literally the complete opposite side of the store. The condiment aisle is somewhere in the middle (not near either the deli, or the bread). So this one I can confirm from experience.
There is nothing wrong with trying to increase sales. As long as nothing is done deceptively [like bait and switch pricing] the burden should be on the shopper to make intelligent decisions. Make a list. Stick to it. Do the simple math.
All checkouts are near the exit. The self checkout is closest because it's supposed to be limited to less items than a full cart, hence quicker exit. It's not a trick. A cart full of groceries checked out in a lane takes longer than one or two items in the self checkout...
I agree it's not all a scam - usually it really is faster to use the self-checkout if you're not having to wait for some brain-damaged twit to finish. Have to disagree that staff there for you - sometimes they are, sometimes they aren't and most of the self-checkouts are flashing for help when you get there because not only don't they hire enough staff to man the registers they don't even hire enough to man the self-checkout. Because "nobody wants to work" positions for which management is only pretending to hire for so they can abuse their existing staff
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Aaaaactuallyyyyyyy, it turns out that self checkouts have resulted in an (unsurprising) uptick in "shrinkage". In other words, when people are not being watched, they tend to steal and those losses (shrinkage) are turning out to be more costly than paying people to do it. And yet, supermarkets still keep pushing the automation.
Many stores in US, like Walmart, have started using some AI to monitor these checkouts to make it more difficult to steal. An alarm goes off and locks the system if it thinks you tried to slip something by without scanning it.
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Why is this the third thing about self check outs on this thread? Did he not have enough other stuff to round out his list?
Where I shop, the self checkouts are furthest from the exit. Also, you can't go through with a shopping cart, just a little handbasket. It's okay to have your own wheeled buggy, though.
I don't know in the US, but in the Netherlands the self checkout are way faster than the cashiers. We use a scanner so we can scan all the products after taking them from the selfs and then put them in the bags that we carry with us. So when we get to the self check out we are ready to pay, and go.
Self check-outs are closer to the entrances, so you will have to walk all the way back to where you started.
used to do self check out, but decided I'm not an employee of the store, so I shouldn't have to work while I'm there, and pay for the privilege.
I get that if the self check is packed. But if given a choice to wait for a cashier or check out myself now, I ain't waiting
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It's the same where I go. They just tell you they rather have you do it yourself, there's no line and there's one with a cashier and a line where older ppl go. When they started, they would just ask you to come out of the line and do it yourself and asked if you needed help.
Self checkout is faster here because a) they only staff like one regular checkout 2) they have one queue for multiple self checkouts whereas each regular checkout has its own queue so the average speed goes down
Note: this post originally had 25 images. It’s been shortened to the top 22 images based on user votes.
literally none of this is new, these are older things that have been well known since the 1960s. average HS home econ course teaches this, and has for decades
I'm sorry HS home econ course? I don't think those have existed since the 1960's!
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This must be from America because it in the UK most of what he is saying is utter nonsense. No supermarket would waste time and many man hours rearranging the store without very good reason. Broken trollies to make you spend more? Crap! Broken trollies annoy customers and are removed as soon as they are spotted. You want milk and bread together? Milk needs refrigeration and sits with all the dairy products. Bread should not be refrigerated and sits with all other baked goods. I could go on about the rest of his nonsense but I would probably say something I shouldn't about this.
Some of the photos show pound signs, some show dollar signs. Some photos show Clubcard (Tesco), some show thw very distinctive Sainsbury's font. So probably a mixture.
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Here are my two cents that no one asked for...The vast majority of grocery stores I've been to have the fresh products around the perimeter. Just go in and take a lap. You'll get the bakery, the butcher counter, fresh fruit, fresh veggies, eggs, and dairy products. Bonus: not dealing with all the marketing stuff listed in this post Double bonus: healthier food.
Yes. That's because the storage is around the sides and back of the store. Fresh foods need to be restocked more often than the less perishable stuff in the aisles. The refrigerated stuff is clustered together usually at the back, away from the windows and doors. It's efficient.
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Often grocery shopping feels like an insane game of Tetris. Bread and fruit comes first, and then you keep rearranging everything to save it from getting squished by the heavy items that come last...
Just don't go to the supermarket hungry, take a list, stay focused and you should be able to get in and out alive. Also - rethink the use of the word 'sinister.' It's not like I'm being waterboarded - I don't fall for any of this nonsense.
I always eat a little something before I go to the grocery, and make a list while I eat. Having a list & sticking to it helps a lot.
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I think a lot of this is nonsense. I hate supermarkets and I rarely go to them, I much prefer to order online. If I do have to go to one I make a list of what I need or want before I go and I buy what is on the list. I almost never buy things on impulse unless I specifically want to try something different, which is not very often. The layout of the supermarket makes no difference to me at all and I use the self serve checkout because I prefer as little interaction with people as possible. I spend all my working day dealing with people and I have no wish to do it when not working.
Yeah the only parts that are definitely true is that they do specifically put produce near the doors so you think “oh, fresh produce! This is a good store!” (The part about people buying it first so they feel,good about being healthy so they buy more junk is bull. Almost nobody even buys produce first, because it would get crushed) and that they often put stuff at eye level to encourage purchases of that specific brand. But that’s just for stuff where there’s a ton of that kind of product - chips, cereal.
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Another TikTok post with someone keen to put their pic on as much as they can.
I absolutely refuse to use the self check outs.I would rather keep someone in a job.
Another stupid useless post by a douchebag looking DOUCHE reeling for attention.
Now, now. Let's play fair and see what you look like, especially since you think that was the point.
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I have never before seen a thread stretched so desperately thin.
Even if some of these are common knowledge, it doesn't hurt to remind people how they can be sucked in by marketing. I'm really surprised by how negative people are in the comments. Bored Panda used to be a place for fun and interesting things, not a bunch of people grumbling. Sheesh - A good reference is the book Blindsight by Matt Johnson, PhD
These are pretty much all bunk. I shop my list and that's that. A broken cart is not deliberate. Most of us just leave them in the way and get another one. Move everything to make people look for stuff? No way could that be worth the man-hours it would take to do. Stuff at eye level? Ok, that will catch some folks, but that has been a known practice for as long as there have been stores.
Self checkout is not faster because I can do it faster, it is faster because of the lack of a line. If the line is the same, then, yes, let them do it.
Load More Replies... Literally none of this is true and even if it was....if you fall for it, you're an idiot. I always get exactly what I come for, nothing more. I've never bought anything because of an advertisement or because it was right in front of me. I buy the exact item and brand I want, always. Every major supermarket is labeled as to exactly where everything is, if you can't find it in seconds, you're an idiot. Modern carts have not gotten bigger. They are the exact same they've always been. In fact, most carts are around longer than 10 years, so not sure what world he lives in. Also, my cart moves the same, stuck wheel or not. Why? Because I make it move the same. If that isn't possible, I grab a different cart. Buy what you need and leave. That's it. That's all you need to do.
Someone should do one on all the advertising over the years that were made up and people still believe, or even how advertising started the whole Santa Claus Christmas thing. It ridiculous how much advertising influence peoples beliefs
Exposes? Say what? This is stuff that we've know since supermarkets were invented, with some stuff being a bit newer. These Tiktok kids think they're exposing something new, when they're really just stealing content and repackaging it.
Orrrrr.... as most people do, we just know where our list's items are located, go there, and leave.
I hated this entire article. There's little basis to most of what he says, but people just believe everything they read online.
Yeah, I learned about this in high school. It's not new or evil in any way. It's all about maximizing profits. It's why any store will display only certain items for window shoppers to see. Marketing.
literally none of this is new, these are older things that have been well known since the 1960s. average HS home econ course teaches this, and has for decades
I'm sorry HS home econ course? I don't think those have existed since the 1960's!
Load More Replies... This must be from America because it in the UK most of what he is saying is utter nonsense. No supermarket would waste time and many man hours rearranging the store without very good reason. Broken trollies to make you spend more? Crap! Broken trollies annoy customers and are removed as soon as they are spotted. You want milk and bread together? Milk needs refrigeration and sits with all the dairy products. Bread should not be refrigerated and sits with all other baked goods. I could go on about the rest of his nonsense but I would probably say something I shouldn't about this.
Some of the photos show pound signs, some show dollar signs. Some photos show Clubcard (Tesco), some show thw very distinctive Sainsbury's font. So probably a mixture.
Load More Replies... Here are my two cents that no one asked for...The vast majority of grocery stores I've been to have the fresh products around the perimeter. Just go in and take a lap. You'll get the bakery, the butcher counter, fresh fruit, fresh veggies, eggs, and dairy products. Bonus: not dealing with all the marketing stuff listed in this post Double bonus: healthier food.
Yes. That's because the storage is around the sides and back of the store. Fresh foods need to be restocked more often than the less perishable stuff in the aisles. The refrigerated stuff is clustered together usually at the back, away from the windows and doors. It's efficient.
Load More Replies... Often grocery shopping feels like an insane game of Tetris. Bread and fruit comes first, and then you keep rearranging everything to save it from getting squished by the heavy items that come last...
Just don't go to the supermarket hungry, take a list, stay focused and you should be able to get in and out alive. Also - rethink the use of the word 'sinister.' It's not like I'm being waterboarded - I don't fall for any of this nonsense.
I always eat a little something before I go to the grocery, and make a list while I eat. Having a list & sticking to it helps a lot.
Load More Replies... I think a lot of this is nonsense. I hate supermarkets and I rarely go to them, I much prefer to order online. If I do have to go to one I make a list of what I need or want before I go and I buy what is on the list. I almost never buy things on impulse unless I specifically want to try something different, which is not very often. The layout of the supermarket makes no difference to me at all and I use the self serve checkout because I prefer as little interaction with people as possible. I spend all my working day dealing with people and I have no wish to do it when not working.
Yeah the only parts that are definitely true is that they do specifically put produce near the doors so you think “oh, fresh produce! This is a good store!” (The part about people buying it first so they feel,good about being healthy so they buy more junk is bull. Almost nobody even buys produce first, because it would get crushed) and that they often put stuff at eye level to encourage purchases of that specific brand. But that’s just for stuff where there’s a ton of that kind of product - chips, cereal.
Load More Replies... Another TikTok post with someone keen to put their pic on as much as they can.
I absolutely refuse to use the self check outs.I would rather keep someone in a job.
Another stupid useless post by a douchebag looking DOUCHE reeling for attention.
Now, now. Let's play fair and see what you look like, especially since you think that was the point.
Load More Replies... I have never before seen a thread stretched so desperately thin.
Even if some of these are common knowledge, it doesn't hurt to remind people how they can be sucked in by marketing. I'm really surprised by how negative people are in the comments. Bored Panda used to be a place for fun and interesting things, not a bunch of people grumbling. Sheesh - A good reference is the book Blindsight by Matt Johnson, PhD
These are pretty much all bunk. I shop my list and that's that. A broken cart is not deliberate. Most of us just leave them in the way and get another one. Move everything to make people look for stuff? No way could that be worth the man-hours it would take to do. Stuff at eye level? Ok, that will catch some folks, but that has been a known practice for as long as there have been stores.
Self checkout is not faster because I can do it faster, it is faster because of the lack of a line. If the line is the same, then, yes, let them do it.
Load More Replies... Literally none of this is true and even if it was....if you fall for it, you're an idiot. I always get exactly what I come for, nothing more. I've never bought anything because of an advertisement or because it was right in front of me. I buy the exact item and brand I want, always. Every major supermarket is labeled as to exactly where everything is, if you can't find it in seconds, you're an idiot. Modern carts have not gotten bigger. They are the exact same they've always been. In fact, most carts are around longer than 10 years, so not sure what world he lives in. Also, my cart moves the same, stuck wheel or not. Why? Because I make it move the same. If that isn't possible, I grab a different cart. Buy what you need and leave. That's it. That's all you need to do.
Someone should do one on all the advertising over the years that were made up and people still believe, or even how advertising started the whole Santa Claus Christmas thing. It ridiculous how much advertising influence peoples beliefs
Exposes? Say what? This is stuff that we've know since supermarkets were invented, with some stuff being a bit newer. These Tiktok kids think they're exposing something new, when they're really just stealing content and repackaging it.
Orrrrr.... as most people do, we just know where our list's items are located, go there, and leave.
I hated this entire article. There's little basis to most of what he says, but people just believe everything they read online.
Yeah, I learned about this in high school. It's not new or evil in any way. It's all about maximizing profits. It's why any store will display only certain items for window shoppers to see. Marketing.
