http://articles.buygroceriesdirect.com/rss.xml A blog about buygroceriesdirect.com daily 365 1901-01-01T00:00+00:00 http://articles.buygroceriesdirect.com/?a=35756 <p>by Gregg Hall</p><p>The following tips can you aware of your shopping and spending habits, and how manufacturers try to influence you, the consumer. Being a conscientious shopper can help you stay on your monthly food budget.<br /><br />Beware Grocery Aisle Layout and Item Displays: Brand names pay stocking fees to stores so that their products are placed at appropriate eyelevel. Adult products are placed higher, while products for children are placed lower. Products placed at eyelevel are often the most expensive, because of the stocking fees, and the fact that manufacturers know that the consumer is more like to buy a product from eyelevel while walking down the aisle.<br /><br />Solution: Take a few extra seconds and look at the shelved above and below the featured product. Chances are you will find the same product at a better price.<br /><br />Avoid &quot;Sale&quot; Merchandise: Stores advertise items known as &quot;loss leaders&quot; that are features at rock bottom prices, or even free with purchase. Occasionally, these can be bargains, but remember aisle ends are reserved for these items or the bargain priced product is features next to a higher priced product. You usually can find similar items in the regular aisle section that may be cheaper than the &quot;sale&quot; item.<br /><br />Solution: Be wary of sale ads. Focus on the price of the product, and not the advertising or fancy packaging. Compare brands. Remember, if you buy a product you wouldn't normally use, you are not saving any money, and it isn't a bargain no matter the price.<br /><br />Beware of Product Appearance and Packaging Tricks: Companies can be very clever when packaging their product. Bright colors attract attention, especially red and yellow. Oversized packages are also a draw for consumers. Shoppers assume that larger packaging means more product and a better deal. This is often not the case. The &quot;Buy in Bulk&quot; mantra has been pounded into the average shopper for years. Advertisers know this, and the larger quantity package may have a cheaper counterpart in smaller packaging.<br /><br />Solution: Always compare unit price or per weight cost. Regularly products that have smaller packaging feature a better deal than buying the bulk version.<br /><br />Avoid Impulse Buying at Checkout: The checkout aisle is a mini store. They have captive shoppers that are forced to look at the products while they wait. Hundreds of items can be crammed into this tiny space, and the profit margin on such items is extremely high. <br /><br />Solution: Make a conscious decision to not buy from the checkout lane before you enter it. You can also speed through the line during off peak hours. Many stores are now open 24 hours a day, so early morning or late evening shopping can make your stay in the checkout aisle easy to bear and the products easy to resist.</p><h3 class="popup">About the Author </h3><p>Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Florida. Find more about this as well as buying groceries online at <a href="http://www.buygroceriesdirect.com/">http://www.buygroceriesdirect.com</a></p> 2006-09-16T20:28-04:00 http://articles.buygroceriesdirect.com/?a=35755 <p>by Gregg Hall</p><p>The amount you spend on groceries can vary from month to month, unlike a mortgage or car payment. When a budget fails one can often accuse the grocery bill. Clipping coupons and buying generic brands is thought to be good advice, but it is important to know how stores entice you to spend more than what you originally earmarked for the grocery store. Some of these strategies are so subtle that you may have never even considered them before. Look at the following information an see if you can learn to combat the store's selling strategies and win back control of your grocery budget.<br /><br />Smells and Samples: Grocery Stores usually smell delicious. The Bakery, Deli, or Fruit section are often strategically placed near the door. For the grocery store, it is important for consumers to be hungry when they shop. Smells from these sections get the consumers thinking about food and consumers always spend more when they are hungry. Free Samples in the grocery store? Delicious. If it is not a product you would normally purchase, the store just increased the amount of money you were going to spend in the store. <br /><br />An easy way to solve the hunger problem is don't shop when you are hungry. Don't shop right before an upcoming meals, shop after lunch, instead of before dinner. Eat first, or go shopping when are not hungry. Shopping when you are full makes it much easier to resist temptation.<br /><br />Overall Store Layout: Staple food items are located in the rear of almost every store. Consumers have to wander the aisles to locate items like bread and milk. Stores understand that putting staple items together would make shopping easier, but they also know that the longer they can keep you in the store, the more items you will buy. Stores also understand impulse buying, or the purchasing of items that you don't really need on impulse alone. Stores are specifically designed to encourage impulse buying. Sale products are always featured on aisle end caps that even the most frugal customer will have to walk by.<br /><br />There is obviously no way around the fact that you will have to traverse the entire store to get to your staple food items, but you can avoid impulse items by making a list of the grocery items you really need, and committing to sticking to the list before you enter the store. Get in a habit of making one trip to the store per week, instead of several smaller trips. This cuts down the time you are in the store, thus saving money for the bottom line of your grocery budget. The less time in the store, the less money you will spend.</p><h3 class="popup">About the Author </h3><p>Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Florida. Find more about this as well as buying groceries online at <a href="http://www.buygroceriesdirect.com/">http://www.buygroceriesdirect.com</a></p> 2006-09-16T20:23-04:00