Tricks Supermarkets Use to Get You To Spend More Money

I think we have all experienced some (if not all) of these methods to try to get us to spend as much as possible while grocery shopping.

Have you seen any other clever marketing techniques to get you to part with your hard earned money?

What is it that makes it so hard for us to stick to buying only what's on our preplanned shopping list? Would you feel better if you knew it wasn't all your fault? It's not.

If you're someone who constantly wonders how you almost always end up spending more on groceries than your current food budget allows, understanding the tricks supermarkets use to get you to spend more will help you stay within your shopping budget.

Yes, your local supermarket has an atmosphere. It's not just a place where people go to buy their food. It's an experience. The big chains do their research, and that's how they know the best way to get you to spend more is to capitalize on your senses. Thus, one of the most used tricks supermarkets use to get you to spend more money is to create and release pleasant smells, which are known to put you in a better mood. This is done because studies show people tend to spend more money when they're in a good mood.

And why are everyday essentials located in the back of the store? Unfortunately, it's not so you can get your 10,000 steps in for the day. They do it so you have to walk through the store, hoping you'll see something else to buy.

So now we know supermarkets use smells to get you to hand over more cash. Flowers and baked goodies are the two more common smells released. These well placed happy smells activate your salivary glands.

Listening to the slower paced music they play keeps you walking at a pace just right for seeing everything in the aisles. Of course, the music chosen is easy to sing along with to help put you in a good mood.

Visually, they use bright colors to catch your eye and promote a positive atmosphere. And positivity promotes good feelings, which puts you in a better mood. You get the picture. Did you know that we're naturally drawn to the color red, which also is an appetite stimulator? Two birds, one stone!

New rubber based floors are now being used that vibrate the shopping cart handle just enough to keep your mind from drifting away. And lastly, free food samples tempt your taste buds into buying whatever is being promoted on any particular day.