Anderson Live-Store Traps to Have Customers Buy More

[SavingSweetOneL]

Hi All,

Yesterday, on "Anderson LIve" showed 5 traps retail stores use on customers.

5) Customers tend to turn right, retailers put store items on the right.

4) Stratigic Placement of items...like lots of assessories near the register, for impulse buys.

3) Carpet increases sales by 8%, as the shopper is slowed down.

2) Deceptive signs.

1) Store credit card sign-up. (High APR)

So, do you always shop with a list? Are there other retail "buyer beware" things we all should know?

SweetOneL

[JoeP]

Eye-level items. Younger=lower, older=higher.

Deals that require a certain number of items in order to qualify. For example, bread may be 2 or $3, but you cannot buy 1 for $1.50...you need to buy 2 (even if you want only 1). You give up more money from your wallet.

Advertisements inside your shopping cart.

Aisles that are set up to impede a straight path from point A to point B. Blockbuster was famous for this. All display fixtures were set up in a herringbone pattern, so that you passed a lot of surface area before you got to your destination.

Grocery stores that put the common staples (bread, dairy, eggs, alcohol) far away from the entrance. Again, pass as much merchandise as possible before getting to the product you want.

[nalidixic]

I've often wondered how much thought goes into store layouts.

Most drug stores (at least in Canada) always have the pharmacy at the back of the store. So if your simply going just to get a prescription filled you have to walk the entire depth of the store. It's the same with milk in the grocery stores.

It's interesting to note too that department stores always have fragrances by the mall entrances almost like the good smell will draw shoppers into the store.

Some food for thought for sure!

[GrimJack]

Piggly Wiggly was set up so you entered at one end and had to zig-zag passed all the aisles to check out - they changed that in the late 50s (I think). Watch those bargains at the end of the aisle - sometimes the price can be cheaper on the shelf (notice that the those displays are seldom on the same aisle where the item is normally found) - this used to catch me all the time.

[bjl584]

Piggly Wiggly was set up so you entered at one end and had to zig-zag passed all the aisles to check out - they changed that in the late 50s (I think). Watch those bargains at the end of the aisle - sometimes the price can be cheaper on the shelf (notice that the those displays are seldom on the same aisle where the item is normally found) - this used to catch me all the time.

A regional grocer in my area did something similar a while back. There used to be breaks in the center of the aisles, but they were removed forcing you to navigate all the way up and down each isle and past all of the merchandise.

[Mjenn]

'Why We Buy' is a really interesting book on this subject written by someone who has spent a very long time studying how people behave when they are in stores. What they pick up and look at, what they buy, where they focus in the store, etc. Really interesting read that can help you understand a store layout a bit better. And yes, a LOT of thought, planning and study has gone into the layout of any major store or chain.