Supermarkets have your shopping experience down to a science. They arrange and display their merchandise in ways that encourage you to buy both more products and the type or brand of product that they want to sell.  Here are 9 ways they get you to put more items into your cart which ultimately means more items scanned at the register.

 1.  Is the product on a high, middle, or low shelf?

Have you ever heard something described as “top shelf”? That usually refers to really good, or “top flight” (expensive) stuff. In supermarkets, the location of where products are placed sends subtle signals that are designed to affect your purchase decisions. The most expensive products generally are on the highest or top shelves. Lower shelves house “destination” products — the ones you need, look for, and will buy regardless of price. The bottom shelf has the least popular or generic products (where’s the flour and sugar in your market?).  Eye level shelves, known as “reach,” (reach out your arm) hold high impulse purchases, products that are competitive, or ones that are the most enticing.

2.  What does the market want you to buy?

Supermarkets are filled with free-standing bins and shelves and with end caps — the shelves at the very end of aisles in the market.  There seem to be so many that you’re in danger of knocking into them with your cart as you try to get from one aisle to another.  But, the crowding and the obvious placement means that you’ll usually end up checking them out for specialties or bargains. The products on or in them are either promoted products that have a high profit margin for the store, are marked with a very low price, or carry a manufacturer’s promotion like a coupon or reduced price. “Dump bins” or “offer bins” usually are a jumble of items being closed-out and seem to uniformly signal “cheap price.”  Can you easily walk by big bins or specialty displays without at least looking?

3. Do you see a colorful mosaic of fruit and vegetables?

In produce departments, the displays of green vegetables are usually alternated with brightly colored produce.  The mosaic of beautifully colored fruits and vegetables is designed to draw your eye. For instance, when you walk into Whole Foods, you’re instantly hit with what they want you to see/buy/eat.  Produce is right up front, arranged by shades of color, and artfully displayed in black bins so the produce color really stands out and draws your attention.  According to a retail consultant, they’re priming you – giving you the impression that what you see is as fresh as possible – that way you’re prepared to spend more.

4. Why are eggs and milk located in the back of the store?

We all go to the supermarket to buy lots of things – but most frequently the market is a destination for things like milk, eggs, and bread. In many markets those destination purchases are in the farthest corner of the store. The more items you have to walk by to get to your destination purchase – milk, bread, eggs — the more opportunities you have to buy other things you walk by that suddenly you absolutely must have.

5. Why are batteries and magazines near the cash register?

Have you noticed that impulse purchases like magazines, gum, and candy, and even batteries and seasonal items like sunscreen, are near the cash register (even though you can also find them elsewhere in the store)? While you wait to pay, the displayed items or things that are impulsive buys (gee, I might need more AA batteries), may entice you to toss one or two items onto the checkout counter. Of course the low level – or kid in cart-level — displays also entice kids to grab candy from them and more often than not, to avoid a scene, parents give in and that chocolate bar gets rung up, too.

6.  Is there a café or coffee bar in the front of the store?

Some markets now have cafes, coffee bars, or places to sit and eat the food you have purchased.  In many Whole Foods Markets the eating areas are very near the entrance.  A branding design expert says the intent is to get you in the mood for shopping. As soon as you walk in and you see other people enjoying the products that you can buy and then eat, it gives you incentive to purchase and eat them, too.

7. How large is your shopping cart?

How big are some of the shopping carts – especially in the bigger or newer stores where there are nice wide aisles? Or, how about the stores with kid sized carts, too?  You end up filling – and buying – an adult sized (perhaps oversized) cart’s worth of groceries and a kid-sized cart of groceries, too.  How many adults can tell a child that they aren’t going to buy what the child has put into his or her own cart? A retail consultant’s firm calculated that by increasing the size its shopping baskets a store can boost its revenue by up to 40% — the reason that over the past three years Whole foods has increased the size of its shopping baskets.

8. Do you hear music In the air – and not just through your ear buds?

From a branding design expert:  hearing old favorite songs while you shop in a store helps you form a quick emotional bond with the store and you feel that the store “gets you.”  In Whole Foods you very likely might hear hits from the ‘80s and ‘90s.  Don’t you have a tendency to buy more when you’re relaxed and in a comfortable atmosphere?

9. What color are the price stickers?

The color of the sales stickers on your merchandise, especially in bigger stores, is not just a random choice. Here’s why: yellow and red signs and stickers elicit the biggest consumer response. Heads up – especially when you see a nice red or yellow sale sticker stuck on something – it might be destined to end up in your cart!

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Think about it – why do you always go up and down the aisles the way you do?  For that matter – why do you choose one market over another?  Is it the price, the ease of use, or maybe subconsciously, or consciously, you know that the store you use as your “go-to” carries your favorite foods. Those foods may be the freshest produce, the leanest meat, or the best convenience foods, home made cookies, and freshly baked cakes.

Do You Usually End Up Walking Out Of The Market With A Bag Of Cookies Or Chips That You Hadn’t Planned On Buying?

Do you almost inevitably end up with donuts, cookies, or chips in your cart? Do you also walk around the supermarket in the same pattern slowing down in the aisles that house your favorite foods?

Whatever your “trigger” or “treat” food of choice might be, tossing it into your cart when it calls your name as you walk down the supermarket aisle becomes a habit – a habit that often translates into weight gain.

The routine of traveling a certain route – the one that propels you past the food that has become your caloric downfall — becomes so ingrained that you function on autopilot. You may not even think about going to the place that sells your craving/trigger/indulgence food – you seem to just find yourself there.

It’s not dissimilar to being unable to pass the popcorn or candy counter when you get into the movie theater.  The array of bright candy boxes and the smell of popcorn is in your face and buying popcorn or candy is the thing that you’ve always done.  It’s become your habit when you go to the movies. You don’t really think about it – you just do it.

The same thing is true with tossing those cookies or chips into your shopping cart – ‘fess up — isn’t it true that 9 times out of 10 you’ll end up with them in your cart?

Do You Need To Change-Up Your Route?

Snacks and treats aren’t always bad things. But, when they become  habits and choices that lead to weight gain it’s time for some reassessment of your shopping and eating habits.

If your supermarket shopping is followed by grumbling over the fact that you bought and ate (whatever it is) once again — often in the parking lot or on your way home — perhaps it’s time to reconsider your route and your routine.

Change it up. Go to a different store or try walking around the supermarket in a different direction. We all get used to doing certain things in a certain way – which may be fine – unless it’s not. If your routines are causing you to eat poorly, do something different.

You might not even realize how your shopping patterns affect what you buy and ultimately what you eat.  What kind of changes can you make?

This article is part of the 30 day series of blog posts called: 30 Easy Tips for Looser Pants and Excellent Energy.

The post Do You Always End Up In The Cookie Or Chips Aisle In The Supermarket? appeared first on Eat Out Eat Well.

High Shelf Or Low Shelf?

Ever hear something described as “top shelf”? That usually means the really good or the most expensive stuff. In supermarkets, where products are placed can send subtle signals that affect your purchase decision. The most expensive products generally are on the highest or top shelves. Lower shelves house “destination” products — the ones you need, look for, and will buy regardless of price. The bottom shelf has the least popular or generic products (where’s the flour and sugar in your market?).  Eye level shelves, known as “reach,” hold high impulse purchases, products that are competitive, or ones that are the most enticing.

What They Want You To Buy

If you’re used to seeing products in free-standing bins, on shelves, or on end caps (the shelves at the very end of aisles in the market you frequent), you’ll end up usually checking them out for specialties or bargains. The products on or in them are promoted products that probably have the highest profit margin for the store, are items with the lowest price, or they have a big manufacturer’s promotion like a coupon or reduced price. “Dump bins” or “offer bins” usually are a jumble of items being closed-out and seem to uniformly signal “cheap price.”  Can you honestly say that you can easily walk by big bins or specialty displays without at least looking?

A Crazy Quilt Of Fruit and Vegetables

In the produce departments, the displays of green vegetables are usually alternated with brightly colored produce.  The crazy quilt of beautifully colored fruits and vegetables is designed to draw your eye.

In Whole Foods, for instance, you’re instantly hit with what they want you to see/buy/eat.  Produce is right up front, arranged by shades of color, and displayed in black bins so the produce color really stands out and draws your attention.  According to a retail consultant, they’re priming you – giving you the impression that what you see is as fresh as possible – that way you’re prepared to spend more.

Why Are The Milk And Eggs In The Back Of The Store?

People go to the market to buy lots of things – but most frequently for destination purchases like milk, eggs and bread. In many markets those destination purchases are in the farthest corner of the store. Why? The more items you have to walk by to get to the destination purchase – the milk, bread, eggs — the more opportunity and the better the chance you’re going to buy other things that you walk by that suddenly you absolutely must buy. That’s the same reason impulse purchases like magazines, gum, and candy are near the cash register. Wile you wait to pay for the items in your cart the display or impulsive buys may entice you to toss one or two onto the checkout counter (the low level displays also entice kids to grab candy from them and more often than not, to avoid a scene, parents give in).

Is There A Café Up Front?

Some markets now have a cafe or place to sit and eat the food you have purchased.  In many Whole Foods the eating areas are very near the entrance.  A branding design expert says the intent is to get you in the mood for shopping. As soon as you walk in and you see other people enjoying the products that you can buy and then eat, it gives you incentive to purchase and eat them, too.

The Size Of Your Shopping Cart

Have you seen the size of some of the shopping carts – especially in the bigger or newer stores where there are nice wide aisles? Or, how about the stores with kid size carts, too?  You end up filling – and buying – an adult sized (perhaps oversized) cart’s worth of groceries and a kid-sized cart of groceries, too.  How many adults can tell a child that they aren’t going to buy what the child has put into his or her own cart?

A retail consultant’s firm calculated that increasing the size of shopping baskets can boost a store’s revenue by up to 40% — the reason that over the past three years Whole foods has increased the size of its shopping baskets.

Is There Music In The Air?

From a branding design expert:  hearing old favorite songs in a store helps you form a quick emotional bond with the store – the feeling that the store “gets you.”  In Whole Foods you very likely might hear hits from the ‘80s and ‘90s.  Don’t you have a tendency to buy more when you’re relaxed and in a comfortable atmosphere?

A Colorful Bonus Tip

What color are the sales stickers on your merchandise?  Mostly yellow and red? Here’s why: yellow and red signs and stickers elicit the biggest consumer response. So, heads up – especially when you see a nice red or yellow sale sticker stuck on something – it might end up in your cart!

The post 7 Ways Supermarkets Get You To Fill Your Cart appeared first on Eat Out Eat Well.

All blueberries, especially the tiny wild ones, are loaded with antioxidants and phytochemicals that may play a role in reducing risk for some diseases.

Fantastic nutrition, too.  One cup has 84.4 calories, no fat, 21 grams of carbs (4 g fiber, 15g sugars) and 1 g of protein and 24% of the recommended daily value of Vitamin C.

They’re a good tasting, good looking super food. That’s why manufacturers add them to lots of cereal and baked goods (or at least imply that they do).

So, what’s the problem? Here it is: a bunch of food products that have labels or lovely pictures that suggest that they contain real blueberries really contain types of fake blueberries (not plastic, but not whole fruit either).

Blueberry Crunchlets

In an investigation, the nonprofit Consumer Wellness Center found fake “blueberries” that were actually a mix of sugar, corn syrup, starch, hydrogenated oil, artificial flavors and food dyes blue No. 2 and red No. 40 that were made to look like blueberries. Manufacturers like Kellogg’s, Betty Crocker, and General Mills, use them in bagels, cereals, bread, and muffins. Some products mix real blueberries with fakes.

For instance, Kellogg’s Frosted Mini Wheats Blueberry Muffin variety has blueberry flavored “crunchlets,” not blueberries and General Mills’ Total Blueberry Pomegranate cereal contains no blueberries and no pomegranates.

What Are Crunchlets?

Here’s the ingredient list and description, from their website, for Kellogg’s® Frosted Mini-Wheats® Blueberry Muffin:

It is described as “Naturally and artificially flavored lightly sweetened whole grain wheat cereal, blueberry muffin.”

Ingredients:  Whole Grain Wheat, Sugar, Blueberry Flavored Crunchlets (sugar, corn cereal, soybean oil, modified cornstarch, water, natural and artificial flavor, glycerin, corn syrup, red #40 lake, blue #2 lake), Natural and Artificial Blueberry Flavor, Sorbitol, Gelatin, Reduced Iron, Niacinamide, Blue #2 lake, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Thiamin Hydrochloride (Vitamin B1), Red #40, Folic Acid, Zinc Oxide, Vitamin B12.  To maintain quality, BHT has been added to packaging.

What’s A Consumer To Do?

Your best option is to buy real blueberries and put them on your cereal.

But, what if you crave blueberries in January in the Northeast with multiple feet of snow on the ground and you don’t want to pay a fortune for berries shipped from thousands of miles away?

If you’re thinking of buying cereal or baked goods that claim to have blueberries in them, read the ingredients list on the box to see if the product contains any real fruit.

Items with fake blueberries will have red No. 40, blue No. 2 or other artificial colors listed on the label.  Read carefully, artificial colors and dyes may also be used for components other than blueberries, too.

There are some products with honest to goodness blueberries in them.   Just look carefully.

The post Are You Eating Fake Blueberries? appeared first on Eat Out Eat Well.

Take a look in your fridge and in your cupboards.  What’s in there?  Why did you buy it and when? Sometimes figuring out what to buy and eat is really tough.  Here are a baker’s dozen categories.  Which do you fall into most frequently?

1.     Are you a bargain shopper looking to get the largest amount of food for your money —  so you buy a dozen of what’s on sale or two of the gigantic size at Costco?  Check your cupboard or the back of your fridge there still might be some “bargains” left over from two years ago.

2.     Do you look for the most calories for your money (supersize me) — the biggest bang for your buck?  This often goes hand in hand with #1 above.

3.     Do you want the best nutrition for your money so you shop in CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture) or go on the hunt for country farm stands? Do you then end up with so much produce that some of it rots and you have to toss it –- or, you’re so overloaded with kale or spinach that you never want to look at it again?

4.     Do you buy only what you want to eat – with no regard to cost, calories, or meal planning of any kind? My guess is that most people in this group are younger than 35.

5.     Do you buy food that you think, in the interest of your health or your family’s, that you and/or they should eat?  The problem is that a lot of these foods may not be what you want to prepare and what no one wants to eat.  The food you and your family like probably disappears quickly and the stuff that no one really likes ends up feeding the garbage pail.

6.     Do you buy special or celebratory food because it’s someone’s birthday, or Thanksgiving, or Easter, or Halloween?  Do you really buy it because of holiday traditions or because the holiday has given you an excuse to buy – and indulge – in what you ordinarily wouldn’t?

7.     How about the food you’ve always wanted to try and you bought on the spur of the moment because you happened to see it in the store. Then you got the food home and realized that you didn’t know how to prepare it or found out that the preparation is way too complicated – or that your spouse or partner really hates it.

8.     What about the product of the moment – which might fall into any number of categories.  It could be trendy, the latest low-fat wonder, or the cake mix your neighbor said was so good.  Maybe it’s good, maybe not.

9.     Then there’s the diet foods:  the  low or no fat, low or no sugar, fiber rich, reduced calorie food you bought in an endless quest for the miracle food that won’t pack on the pounds.

10.  What about “nutrition” foods – the ones with claims plastered all over the label that they can prevent or cure just about anything?

11.  Or, the convenience foods – the stuff, probably already prepared and/or processed, frozen, or take-out  — that you grab when you are totally exhausted or exasperated and you want to get the food on the table and not have anyone complain about it.

12.  Let’s not forget the craving foods – the sugar, fat, and salt foods that keep you coming back for more.

13.  And, last but not least, the reward foods — the “I’ve had such a tough day” or “I’ve been so good all day” food that almost always packs a whopper of a sugar, fat, and caloric punch.

Sometimes there is a time and place for food from any of these categories.  But, if you are a mindful, not mindless, eater you might want to think about the category you land in most frequently.

Did I miss any categories?  Please let me know what you think.

The post What’s In Your Cupboards — And Why Is It There? appeared first on Eat Out Eat Well.

Is your route around the supermarket always the same – and does it usually include the aisles that get you in trouble? For me it’s the home made cookie aisle, for some it’s the home for crunchy and salty chips and pretzels, for others, it’s the ice cream freezer cases with box after box of mouth watering ice cream confections.

I realized the other day that I was frequently stopping at a market near my office rather than going to the one I usually go to – one that’s closer to home and far more convenient. Both markets are quite similar – independent family run business with good quality and selection. Why was I frequenting the one closer to my office rather that my hometown market?

The Baked Goods

Answer: The market near my office has it’s own bakery – and sells not just the premade and packaged baked goods, but freshly made scones, cupcakes, tarts, pies, cookies. Really good stuff. My inevitable route in the store always ends up in the baked goods corner, and once there it’s almost impossible for me not to succumb to the freshly baked chocolate chip or oatmeal cookies or ham and gruyere scones.

Do You Find Your Route Home Goes Past A Bakery Or Fast Food Place?

I’ve met and worked with a number of people who complain about being unable to kick their habit of stopping for donuts or a Big Mac or Whopper on their way home from work. Maybe it’s a slice of pizza or a hot dog or an ice cream cone. Whatever the food of choice might be, stopping for it becomes a habit – a habit that translates into weight gain. The routine of traveling a certain route – one that passes the source of the food that has become the habitual snack – becomes so ingrained that you function on autopilot. You may not even think about going to the place that sells your choice of food – you seem to just find yourself there.

It’s A Weekend Thing, Too

These routines that end up with downing your snack of choice may be your weekend “thing” rather than your daily routine. For weekend mall shoppers: do you know where the pretzel store or the best chocolate store is in the mall? Does your shopping always include a walk past that food store – followed by the inevitable purchase?

SocialDieter Tip:

A treat is not always a bad thing. However, when a treat food becomes a habitual choice that leads to weight gain –probably followed by lament over the fact that you ate that (whatever it is) once again, perhaps it’s time to reconsider your route, and your routine. Change it up. Take a different route home, go to a different store, walk around the supermarket in a different direction. We all get used to doing certain things in a certain way. That may be fine – unless it’s not. If your routines are causing you to eat poorly, do something different. Do you have to drive by Dunkin’ Donuts, Baskin Robbins, or Burger King on the way home? If you don’t drive, or walk, by them, you can’t stop in. Do you have to go to the mall with the pretzel shop, or can you go elsewhere? Yesterday I went into my “problem” market and made a point of doing my shopping in the reverse order. I started in the corner of the market with the bakery. Amazingly, pushing right past the baked goods when I first got into the market made them less seductive and I escaped without my cookie or scone of choice. I’m not quite sure why, but I’ll take it. And I’ll try it again the next time.

How are you going to change it up?

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