By John
You, like most people, are probably looking for ways to cut costs and make savings these days, as inflation relentlessly outstrips wage increases. Once all the big and regular payments for insurance, home, auto, utilities and other services have been taken care of, what is left is what you have to live on. You want to make those dollars stretch as far as possible. Grocery shopping will account for many of them and therefore it is worth looking at some shopping techniques to ensure that you save as much money as possible by not spending more than you need.
Supermarkets and grocery stores have an aim that is the complete opposite of yours. Yours is to buy exactly what you need at minimal expense, theirs is to persuade you to buy more than you need at maximum profitability for themselves.
Be prepared
Before you even set foot in the store, you should be well-prepared. You should have eaten, written out your shopping list, left the spouse and kids at home. You have chosen this particular store because you know from previous experience and online research that it carries the products you like at consistently good prices, and is currently offering a number of sale deals on items you need.
Store tactics
Remember their aim: to sell you more. The entry area will be awash with eye-catching offers and advertisements which can safely be ignored. The store layout rarely varies: the basic foods and ingredients (cheaper) are laid out along the perimeter walls while the inner aisles contain all the more expensive brands and processed goods, thus offering you ample opportunity to be tempted into buying something you didn’t know you needed.
Shelf layout is usually standard too. There are typically 5 levels – cheapest items on the top, then medium, then (at eye-level) most expensive, then medium, then cheapest again right at the bottom.
The wording on items and price tickets is carefully designed to tempt you into buying the items the store would prefer to sell you. Words like “Premium”, “Basic” and “Value” abound. There is more ornate packaging on the most expensive products, obviously. There are lots of offers of 1-for-2 or 2-for-3. Alongside genuine sale items, non-sale items might well carry exactly the same design of price tag.
At the checkout counter will be candy and goodies placed just where kids would be looking while you settle up.
Stay Focused!
You needn’t be fooled by these tactics if you concentrate on looking for the genuine bargains and best deals and on completing your list.
It’s all about comparing. Packaging doesn’t matter – you’re not going to eat that. Compare unit costs of brand name products against the store’s own products against generic products, and go for the cheapest that is of acceptable quality. Compare unit costs of the “special” offers and see if it’s really a bargain (as well as something you need). Check that the item under the special-sale tag is indeed the sale item before you put it in the cart. If the price tag on the cheapest products is mysteriously missing (incompetent worker, mischievous child – or a “dirty trick”?), take the time to get the price scanned.
At the checkout take note as your purchases are rung up. Make sure that discounted items are registered at the correct price – sometimes there can be a mismatch. Use coupons, the store’s own card and check for any other discounts that may be available.
Smart shopping means not accepting the sales pitch at face-value. It means being healthily skeptical, checking and comparing. This may take time but if it cuts down your shopping bill by 15%, 10% or even 5%, surely it’s worth it? Shop smart and save money.
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