Shopping for what we need is an American pastime. It has become an adventure rather than just something we must do to get what we need for our sustenance. There are small shops that we visit for specific items and large stores that carry everything that we can possibly imagine. When you want that particular bottle of wine, or that special chocolate, you visit the specialty shop because you know what you are looking for and you know where to find it. Other purchases, like groceries, clothes, toys, or bulk items, are found in the big stores. Once in these huge arenas, if you are not careful, you will be persuaded to buy many more products than you desire. Let’s look at some of the things to watch out for in the big supermarkets and bulk item warehouses.

First, know that the storeowners are prepared for the customer. Everything in the place is engineered to trap the customer in one way or another. The layout is crucial. The frozen section where you select your meats and other refrigerated items will always be toward the back of the building. This is done so that you must pass (twice) all the other less desired products for sale. Most folks will buy their meat, fish, and dairy items frequently. This means that they are in the store several times per week. Each time a customer enters the store, there is another opportunity to trap him or her into buying something else. Causing the customer to walk through the entire store to get what they want ensures that the people are exposed to every item for sale.

Shop for the best products on the edges of the store. The majority of the inside products – those on the center aisles – are the cheaper, less essential items. If you are shopping for your family’s food, stay away from the center aisles. As a general rule, the center aisles contain the products that are not good for your family’s health and well being.

Watch out for those end caps. These are the areas that are placed at the end of each aisle. They are usually larger and more decorated than the aisles. They also contain “deals or bargains” that the store is trying to push you into buying. Unfortunately, not all of these end cap presentations are good deals or bargains. They are aimed at people’s weaknesses. Things that people want but do not need are frequently placed on end caps so that they stand out for the unwary customer to feel obligated to buy.

Be careful of the products at the checkout counters. This is where you will find all those magazines, candy, gum, and other small items that are completely useless and would be difficult to sell on the main aisles. These items are placed at the checkout counters to force the customer to look at them while they are waiting for their turn to check out of the store. The term “impulse buy” shows that these items are purchased without careful thought on the part of the customer. Very few people go into a store to buy these items, so the store’s marketing people place these items in reach of people when they have their wallet open to buy the main items. In addition, when a person gets to the checkout counter, their “sales resistance” has faded. They are no longer concerned about their shopping list or the items that they could not find. Be careful, the big stores are not customer friendly! When going to the big supermarkets or those bulk item warehouses, just stay focused on what you went in for in the first place. Staying mentally focused will go a long way towards protecting you from the store’s marketing strategies.