My hubby attended a marketing seminar last year and the first tip was true. There’s an actual study made on this. Nag-experiment sila and they found out na yong middle class usually eye level ang tingin sa shelves while yong medyo masa sa ibaba ng shelves tumitingin. So sa supermarkets, yong mga items na mas mahal nasa eye level. Mahal din ang rent ng eye-level na shelves.

They also found out na yong consumers - usually humihinto two steps mula dun dulo ng shelves. Kaya daw ang Nescafe laging nasa ganong spot.

Anyways, that seminar is interesting. Maraming natutunan yong hubby ko tungkol sa behaviour ng consumers and how some companies get the market share for the product they are selling

@ I keep enough cash in my wallet. Leave my credit card and debit card at home. So if ever I still have time to look around at other stores, all I ever end up doing is window shop! (wink,wink)

@ I also try to raid malls after a heavy meal. It keeps my eyes off those affordable and yummy snacks lined up near the supermarkets.

@ Believe it or not, I spend more than an hour just to buy stuff at the supermarket. Why? I usually comb the grocery aisles from back to front. It gives me an idea on what ideal products/brand to use next time I need it. It’s kinda like “window shopping at the supermarket”. Might sound weird but it works for me.

@ Another reason why I take so long doing my grocery is that I tend to compare prices. For instance, I already know that Colgate* is too expensive so I will purchase Hapee* toothpaste which is almost of the same quality but a lot cheaper. If I’m really on a tight budget, I switch to Beam*. A bit too minty but hey, my main concern is good clean teeth and cool breath, right?

@ Btw, the article in Moneysense is right when it mentioned that the items at eye level tend to be more pricey. So if you can, try to spend time doing your groceries. It might eat up some of your time but I guess when you actually get to save a few bucks, it’s worth it!

@ Use your green/reusuable bags. It will not only earn you valuable points (SM*, Shopwise*) but you’ll also be helping our ailing Mother Earth.

@ I learned that it’s cheaper when you buy items in sachet packs rather than buying in bottles. (Shampoos &conditioner)

@ Some breads and pastries are a lot cheaper than the others. Try checking its expiration date. Sometimes they give it at a discounted rate because you need to consume it within 2-3 days.

@ Buy 2 Get 1 Free. Buy 3 for the Price of one. These lines are so attractive. But you see, you have to really check if they are worth buying in the first place. If it’s a fav brand, then that’s fine since you’ll be using it for a long time. What if you’re not really familiar with it? Then you’ll end up just wasting the additional bottles/packs/sachets, right?

@Lastly if you’re buying only a few items, try to use the grocery basket instead of the pushcart. Sometimes the push cart tells the shopper to “Fill me up! Fill me up!” When you’re at the cashier counter, y ou’ll realize that you end up carrying all those uneccessary items. Wala ka na tuloy gana mag-ikot pa sa sobrang dami ng bitbit.

See you at the supermarket! Hehe!

*I’m not in any way connected with these companies. =)

re # 3…

isn’t there a DTI rule that if there is an inconsistency in tag price and counter price, the lower price will prevail? I think i have read something to that effect. and if this is correct, sadly cashiers will make excuses that there was a mistake or something (if tag is lower than scanned price)…

what good laws we have if only we had a better way of implementation…

i ask myself if i really need to buy it. in this way, i’m assured that what i buy are only the essentials.

Items 1, 2 above precisely confirm what supermart insiders know - that they charge suppliers more for eye-level goods than those stocked way up or down. This is a way of earning better margins from people shopping in a hurry. Testing this once, shampoo costed P 50 per 100 mL eye-level and just P 40 at the bottom - and same brand, mind you!

Salve,

I have only one rule for your question “How do you keep yourself from buying more than you need?”

Don’t bring your credit card when you go to the grocery, bring your cash budget.

It is really , really tempting to fill up your cart if you know you will be paying by card …;-)

make a list and stick.to.it. this has worked for me for years.

one grocery i went to put two kinds of the same brand of milk so close together that if you are in a hurry (as I was) you would mistake one for the other. I was looking at the price posted on the shelf (which said P39++) but when I got to the counter, it registered at P61.00. When i complained, i was told “Ma’am, Full Cream po yan eh. Yung P39 po yung Family Milk.” But since the cartons looked so similar, and they’re on the same shelf (not on different levels), you wouldn’t notice the difference. Since the line at the counter was already long, i didn’t bother having it changed, and just shelled out P20 more. Now i know better!

it’s a sad reality… we’re buying things a bit higher because supermarket owners make additional charges for putting company’s merchandise in good location aside from the unreasonable mark-ups… i once heard from the president of hapee toothpaste this story… i hope there will be a government supermarket where products can compete head-on without undue advantage against products produced by small-medium industries and not by multi-nationals…

if everyone will notice, products of multi-national companies are lording it over in our favorite supermarkets…

It’s hard to budget money nowadays so I always have the list & the calculator when I go to the supermarket. My husband and I prefer to buy groceries in Super 8 because we noticed that it’s cheaper there compared to Puregold & Ever.

What you mentioned are just some of the designs groceries make to increase their profit. Knowledge of how the typical mind works is exploited by the supermarkets. Another design feature is that male and female items are separated, but even far away. It is not “just” for the convenience of the customers by having proper segregation. It was designed so that men and women separate while picking-up items. It increases the chances of more items being bought but also minimize the haggling of men and women especially about price considerations. More design were talked about in a show from Discovery or National Geographic (forgot which channel and show).

1. Always stick to your well-made-and-thought-of list. I put asterisks on items in my list that I can do away without.

2. Never buy groceries if you are in a hurry. Take some time of to check prices and compare goods.

4. Buy bigger or in bulk if you can.

5. Never bring any child along with you. Minsan kasi nagtuturo. I know there’s nothing wrong with giving your children what they want, pero if you really want to stick to your budget, refrain yourself from bringing them along.

6. Make sure your phone is on “calculator” mode.

7. Never look at items displayed near or within the area of the cashier. It is there to tempt you in buying them.

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