I came across this article on MSN.com today, which outlines 15 ways stores “trick” people into buying more stuff than they intended.
I know I’ve personally come out of, say, Target or Bed Bath & Beyond with a cartful of merchandise that I didn’t intend on buying when I first entered the store. But some of these tactics had me laughing at the fact that people actually fall for them.
I’m familiar with the old expensive-stuff-at-eye-level shelf setup, but making the shopping carts larger, and putting certain items into special cases so the products looks more special and important — and necessary?
And the prices: Instead of neatly rounding, the prices are “uneven” — that gallon of laundry detergent is priced at $5.89 instead of $6 so it’s harder to determine if it’s a better deal than buying larger size. But as far as that’s concerned, my father taught me a neat trick: When in doubt, look at the unit price. It neatly breaks it down for you. The lower the unit price (when comparing different sizes of the same item), the better the deal.
