How many of us prepare to go shopping by writing a detailed list of everything we need to buy? We trawl through kitchen cupboards, fridges and freezers to see what we already have plenty of and what we need to replace.
Then armed with the list and a rough idea of how much we will be spending we set of to our local supermarket. We collect a trolley, the size of which usually depends on how much shopping we intend to buy, get out our list and enter the store.
This seems to be where reality ends, from the moment we set foot inside the shop everything we plan goes out the window, the colours and layout of the aisles and goods seem to overtake any reasonable thinking of usually sensible and, on the whole, sane people.
It's almost as if our lists cease to exist as we are drawn to looking down every aisle and at every shelf at items we have never heard of let alone thought about buying.
Why do we do this? What power do supermarkets have over our thinking? Supermarkets do not cast magic spells over us, well not in the true sense of the word, but their use of advertising and subliminal messaging has the same effect.
The placing of goods is an art that has been perfected after years of research and effects all of us every time we shop. All the very basic food stuffs such as milk, bread and eggs are always spread out within a store so that to purchase all of them you have to travel through the shop leading you to "notice "other things you need, offers to good to miss, bargains. Very few people ever just buy what they came in for.
Bright advertising draws our eyes to items we may not need or would usually not buy. Special offers make us believe we are saving money or getting two for one, but are these really giving us a saving if we did not intend to buy them in the first place and are we sure the price is the usual selling price or has it been inflated for this offer? Not many of us take the time to note prices and when they change.
Taking children of all ages with you to a supermarket almost guarantees that you will not come home with just the goods on your list. TV advertising alerts them to foods they might like to try or that they have been "told" are good for them and it is very hard to tell them they cannot have them. They also have their own likes and dislikes regarding meals and treats so these will be added to your trolley.
So in the end the hour you had set aside to complete your shopping turns in to two hours as you have had to visit every section in case of missing a bargain or because you are searching for the special food item your child is desperate for otherwise he feels deprived.
By the time you have finished your list has become obsolete and your trolley overflowing once again with lots of things that will sit in cupboards and freezers until your next clear out.
So why do we let this happen to us time and time again? I think it's the hunter-gather in us. Nowadays we hunt and gather in shops instead of forests but we still like the thrill of the hunt. Now the hunt is for offers and getting something we think is valuable for less. We don't like to feel we are missing out on something so we will buy it telling ourselves we have saved money, so it's a good thing. Supermarkets play on our desire for a bargain and we fall for it every time.
So ditch the list and just give in to the lure of the shops and now that every time you shop you will always come home with more than you intended unless you are really very strong willed!!
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