7 Ways to Shop Smarter at the Grocery Store
You know those rows of candy, chips, chewing gum and mints, and little fridges full of soda and energy drinks, that line the grocery store checkout lanes? These grab-and-go items make up just 1 percent of a typical supermarket’s merchandise … but account for 4 percent of its profit. Let’s face it … most people don’t list candy bars and potato chips as musthaves on their grocery list … but these items probably end up in your shopping cart more often than you’d care to admit. Impulse buys are so important to supermarkets and food manufacturers that companies such as Hershey’s have seen slowing sales as more customers opt for online shopping, curb side pickup and self-checkout. These avenues allow you to bypass the rows of snacks at checkout, so candy makers are considering self-dispensing candy machines at the curb or near gas station pumps, or pop-up menus before you complete your online purchase, to encourage customers to keeping up their impulse buys. As noted in the book America’s Cheapest Family, it’s not only the checkout lane that prompts impulse purchases. Temptations lurk all around, and the more you go to the store, the more you’re likely to bring home. According to the book:
“Shoppers making a ‘quick trip’ to the store to pick up a few specific items usually purchase 54 percent more than they planned.”