What guides our choices at the supermarket?

Most of the decisions made at the supermarket do not start in front of the shelf; they have already been shaped by the layout of the store. The direction you walk, the products at eye level, the size of the package and the discount label work together. Knowing this layout is far easier than resisting it.

Below we cover how the shelf layout is set up, what the package size does, in which case the discount label really is a saving, and what to look at in ready products.

How the shelf layout is set up

Eye level is the most valuable area of the store, and the products put there are not chosen at random. The top and bottom shelves are noticed less; yet the different options of the same product group usually stand there.

That is why, when looking for a product, moving your gaze up and down lets you see more options in the same aisle. The products that can be compared usually stay outside the visible area.

The route walked inside the store is designed too. Placing frequently bought basic products far from one another means a larger part of the store gets walked through.

What the unit price label is for

On shelf labels, next to the price of the product, an equivalent per kilogram or per liter is written as well. The fastest way to compare two packages of different sizes is this second number; the package price on its own does not show which one is cheap.

The layout of the store does not make this comparison easier. Large size products usually stand at eye level while the small size of the same product goes down to the bottom shelf and is passed by without being seen.

Which size suits whom depends on the way the product is used; we covered this distinction in the what to look at when choosing a packaged product guide.

When a discount is a saving

A discount is a saving on a product that was going to be bought anyway. On a product that is not on the list it does not lower the spending, it raises it.

Arrangements such as "buy two pay for one" make you ask the same question: do you need twice as much of this product, will it be used up before it spoils? If the answer is no, the discount is not a saving but a source of waste.

What to look at in ready products

Ready and half-ready products save time; that is why they do not have to be ruled out entirely. What separates a product is not the phrases that catch the eye on the shelf but the part that shows when you turn it over.

The first three ingredients describe to a large extent what the product is; we collected the detail in this tip.

Taking two packages standing side by side on the shelf together is a fast route as well. Looking at a single product at length does not tell you whether it is good or bad; the criterion only appears when a second product is held in the hand.

What hunger and time change

In shopping done on an empty stomach both the amount and the choice of product shift. We covered this in the going to the supermarket on an empty stomach piece.

Time works in the same direction. As the minutes spent in the store rise, the number of products not on the list rises; short and targeted shopping limits this naturally.

Tiredness is the third factor. In shopping done after work the capacity to decide drops and ready products look more attractive; if possible, moving the shopping to a calmer hour of the day makes the job easier.

What the order in the basket changes

Which aisle the shopping starts from affects the content of the basket. Starting from the vegetable and fruit aisle fills the first half of the basket with this group.

Once the basket starts to fill, you act more selectively about the products added afterwards. This has to do not with willpower but with the sense of fullness, and it is an easy way of turning the layout to your own advantage.

Choosing a small basket or a hand cart works in the same direction. A large cart behaves like an area waiting to be filled.

What online shopping changes

In shopping done online the shelf layout and the walking route disappear; suggestion lists and past orders take their place. The steering does not disappear, it changes form.

In this setting staying with the list is easier because the search box takes you straight to the product. On the other hand not seeing the product with your own eyes leaves the freshness decision to the seller.

The habit of reading labels works here too. For most products the ingredient list and the nutrition table are on the product page and the comparison is faster than it is in the store.

What knowing the layout gains you

None of these arrangements is hidden or ill-intentioned; they are the known methods of retail. For someone who notices them, their effect drops clearly.

The gain does not stay only in the budget either. Choosing deliberately what goes into the basket also makes the dishes to be cooked through the week predictable and lightens the evening decisions.

Nor is it necessary to be on guard at every shopping trip. A few rounds done deliberately leave behind a habit that repeats itself afterwards.

In short: look up and down at the shelf, choose the package size by the way the product is used, and judge the discount against the list. The shopping and label reading guide completes the label side.