Shopping markets are made for consumerism. These environments benefit from millions of pounds of research into how to encourage buying and spending more than we should. Obviously, as consumers, you need to counter-move. Below are 5 shopping tips that you can use.
A shopping market’s job is to make us spend.
Try to place the sweets and magazines by the till as these are impulse buys, so if you put them near the till it gives stores one last attempt to grab our cash. You should regularly buy items that tend to be spread around the store, and for this, you must pass to many other stores for goodies. The maximum eye-level products are the profitable ones. The most profitable goods tend not to be the best deals for shoppers.
Moreover, the age-old adage “look high and low for something” does apply. Also, the seedless grapes and other attractive treats are usually near the store entrance, which is often below the cost price to entice us in. Moreover, similar signs and displays are used elsewhere to promote deals, even when they’re not on sale. Also, normally the bright colours and the words “discount” and “sale” always make us feel good.
You need to steer your own trolley.
The persons who are on a strict budget, it’s always important to get into the right mindset. You should never ask, “what’s the cheapest way to get all the goodies I want?” Instead, you ask: “On my £XYZ budget, what can I afford?” You should know how much to prioritize food shopping as it will depend on your other expenditure.
Learn to take the downshift challenge
You should not believe in the brand hypnosis. It might be bacon, biscuits, baked beans or Bolognese sauce; you might think that if something costs more, it’s got to be better. But it’s not always the case. The promotional language and phrasing which are used in shops always hypnotize us into thinking most costly are the best. If the packaging looks more opulent, then look beneath to the actual product you’re getting, and sometimes you won’t be able to tell the difference. If you move up the brand level, costs increase, then so do the presentation and sometimes ingredients. Moreover, often a manufacturer’s brand and own brand might well be made in the same factory by the same people.
- Some words like premium, ‘finest’ or ‘extra special’ imply it’s a treat.
- A product like Kellogg’s cereal is branded.
- Some brands tend to be presented similarly to manufacturers’ brands but with the supermarket’s take.
- For some with names like ‘basic’ or ‘savers’, the presentation is deliberately stark to imply its cut back to the bones.
You should also try dropping one brand level on everything.
You should never shop when you are hungry.
Though it sounds obvious, it’s true because you are more likely to purchase things you do not need when you are not hungry. Moreover, beware of pick-up shops. Somehow if you pop into your local shop on your way home in order to buy a pint of milk as a catch-up midweek, you should not pick up a basket.
Try to max your coupons.
Shopping and coupons go hand in hand. Coupons and deals will always be an integral part of marketing strategies. The promotions follow what we call a ‘capture and exploit’ system.
- Normally, this aims to attract customers who wouldn’t come otherwise. These normally are discount vouchers or codes which vary from a small range of heavily discounted items.
- This is all about targeting existing customers with the idea of making them feel they are getting better to promote customer stickiness and to get the impulse on promotions. You can find hundreds of free coupons available instantly on the web. You should look for coupons on already-discounted products, as they’ll work out cheaper.
Final Say
Shopping is fun when you get the worth of your money. So if you want to buy something, consider these tips and enjoy shopping.
