As far as the landmines go, anyway.
This article (well, slide deck) on MSN Money discusses seven things stores don't want you to know. Seven tricks, and seven pieces of advice from experts on how to overcome them:
- The lure: Tastefully done and attractive displays with high-markup items. The cure: Stick to a budget and a list. Seems just like: Attractive end caps and sticking to a grocery budget and a shopping list?
- The lure: Buy one, get one free deals that do more to increase sales volume than save you money. The cure: Know what things cost and don't buy more than you really want. Seems just like: Buy one, get one free items at grocery stores and keeping a good price list of your favorite items?
- The lure: Psychology and physiology tend to encourage you to turn right when entering a store; stores capitalize on this by taking their best shots at your wallet on that side of the store. The cure: Go in with a purpose and head straight to the items you are looking for. Seems just like: Produce in the grocery store is often close to the entrance? Go in with a shopping list?
- The lure: Clearance items are buried in the back, past all of the expensive stuff. The cure: Put the blinders on and head straight back there. Seems just like: The bakery clearance rack that is miles away from the regular bakery section?
- The lure: Clearance items are wildly disorganized, and discouraging and time-consuming to look through, unlike the regularly-priced sections. The cure: Knowing in advance that this will take time and persevering. Seems just like: Clearance sections of every kind of grocery with price tags grouped in a giant pile, or missing entirely?
- The lure: Little items for purchase right at the cash register kiosk. The cure: Realizing that these are impulse items and avoiding being taken. Seems just like: Candy within easy reach from the grocery cart seat?
- The lure: Going shopping with a friend who loves to shop just the way you do. The cure: Go with someone more restrained. Seems just like: Going to the grocery store with your spouse when you're both hungry?
Not terribly different are they?
Yep, a lot of these tips are key. But I question whether the disorganization of clearance section is really all that purposeful. I think it has more to do with the fact that there are simply a lot of different brands, items, sizes, etc. It makes it hard for even the employees to know where to put everything back.
@Abigail You do have a point. The cynical side of me says that it’s all a plan to extract as much money from me as possible, though.