Supermarket Sleuths: Stop falling for this one supermarket trick that's ruining your grocery budget
Updated . First published at
We've all been there. You march into Coles or Woolies like a person on a mission with a list in hand, budget locked down, and a steely determination to buy nothing but the items on that list.
But then, it happens. You're cruising toward the milk when you hit the end-of-aisle display.
Suddenly, a mountain of "1/2 Price" chocolate bars, discounted olive oil and limited-edition chips want to hitch a ride in your trolley.
End-of-aisle display are one of the most tempting features in supermarkets. Nine
The end of the aisle is one of the busiest parts of the supermarket, making it hard to stop and think. And you don't want to miss out on that bargain buy.
And there's a reason these end-of-aisle displays work so well.
Dr Nadja Dollisson, a Finance and Marketing expert at RMIT, tells nine.com.au they are so impactful because they perfectly interrupt shoppers trying to carry out their best laid plans.
"They bypass the effortful price comparison that would otherwise slow us down," Dr Dollisson explains.
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'They bypass the effortful price comparison that would otherwise slow us down.' Nine
They grab our attention with large signs claiming they are "1/2 Price" or "On Sale" or 30% Off".
Add to this the fact that the end of the aisle is one of the most difficult spots in the supermarket to stop for long, and shoppers find themselves grabbing the items on display without having taken the time to think about if they really need them.
"Research on instore behaviour shows that shoppers under cognitive load are especially susceptible to peripheral visual cues, and supermarket environments are designed to maximise that load," Dr Dollisson continues.
"End of aisle displays are a particularly deliberate application of this: they sit in high traffic, low dwell time zones where shoppers are transitioning between categories and attention is already divided, making them prime real estate for triggering automatic responses rather than deliberate evaluation."
Even disciplined shoppers who try and take the time to stop at the end of the aisle to think about if they need the items on display will find themselves pressured to move on by shoppers trying to move their trolleys into the next aisle.
Even the most disciplined shoppers can fall victim to them. Nine
"When we are doing a weekly shop, tired, time pressured, mentally juggling a list, our brains switch into what psychologist Daniel Kahneman calls "fast, automatic, pattern based thinking," Dr Dollisson explains.
"In that state, we rely on simple rules, or heuristics, to make decisions without consciously evaluating every option.
"This is enormously useful to retailers because it bypasses the effortful price comparison that would otherwise slow us down."
There simply isn't time to stop and think about whether or not these purchases make sense for you. Nine
But once again, knowledge is power, and by becoming aware of how end of aisle displays eat into your weekly grocery budget, you can avoid giving into them.
Dr Dollisson says the first step is to "notice the set up". Then ask yourself: "Did I plan to buy this?"
This is often enough to shift from a "fast, automatic response" to "slow, more deliberate thinking that actually weighs up whether you want it".
They trigger an automatic response, and its difficult to put items back when shopping in person. Nine
The golden rule is, if the item isn't on your shopping list, you don't buy it, regardless of how enticing the product placement and discount seems.
Even if this means a split second decision while pushing your trolley from one aisle to the next, past the clever end of aisle displays.
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