For stores, customers are first and foremost a source of money. The more they buy, the more profit the store makes. Therefore, it is natural to implement strategies that encourage customers to buy much more than originally intended.
First and foremost, of course, is the actual distribution of goods in the store. The most expensive items are usually at eye level with the customers and thus catch their attention first, and thus may end up in their shopping carts. However, this is not the case for candy and toys. Managers know that children have purchasing power, and they often persuade parents to buy that candy.
The layout of the store is also related to periodic reorganization. This is primarily to ensure that the customer is forced to look all around the store. This, of course, creates many opportunities to find something that catches his eye.
Another very common practice is the absence of windows and daylight. This is intended to upset the customer\’s sense of time and make him stay longer in the market. Customers go from one shelf to the next, not realizing that they have already spent an hour there.
But the manipulation affects not only the eyes, but also the nose and ears. How many times have you been hit in the nose by a smell in a bakery? Or in a spice store? Believe me, it\’s not just the smell of freshly baked bread (or frozen bread, for that matter), or bursting bags of spices. This is because not only the air, but also the aroma is transmitted through the compartment\’s air conditioning.
Then there was the music. Usually upbeat but not overly exuberant, it plays old hits that everyone knows well. Occasionally, they are interspersed with announcements about the latest events or recommendations for what to buy at the Saturday barbecue. These songs are meant to put people in a good, relaxed mood. Plus, being familiar and popular songs, people often want to hear them all the way through.
Finally, we must mention the various promotions that require the collection of points for purchase. These are usually either stuffed animals, picture books, or kitchenware. These can be purchased outside of the promotion period, but at a rather exorbitant discount. If you collect half of the points, you get a certain discount; if you collect all the necessary points, the item becomes even cheaper. Of course, these promotions are time-limited and points from one campaign do not transfer to another. Of course, the number of pieces of a certain toy/book/kitchenware/whatever in a certain store is limited, so you need to get your points as soon as possible.
These were the most common ways that stores try to get us to buy. If you are aware of these tricks, you need to be careful not to be fooled. If you do, you will save a lot of money.
