{"id":11859,"date":"2013-08-16T08:29:10","date_gmt":"2013-08-16T06:29:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/?p=11859\/"},"modified":"2017-01-21T00:04:17","modified_gmt":"2017-01-21T00:04:17","slug":"comment-are-our-supermarkets-manipulating-us","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/comment-are-our-supermarkets-manipulating-us\/","title":{"rendered":"Comment: Are our supermarkets manipulating us?"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019re anything like me, you can’t get in and out of a supermarket without spending twice as much as you planned. What’s more, you always leave with three or four things you don\u2019t really need, and never went there to buy. <\/p>\n

Those incredible bargains at the ends of the aisle and tantalizing of treats at eyeing or grabbing height are an annoying, but random eventuality \u2013 or are they?<\/p>\n

Believe it or not, there is nothing random about the supermarket environment. The layout is scientific \u2013 finely tuned and carefully crafted to make you hungry, make you buy and even influence what you buy. <\/p>\n

Conspiracy theory?<\/h2>\n

Now, I know this sounds like conspiracy theory, but forget the little green men \u2013 this is the real deal! <\/p>\n

The moment you walk in and grab your trolley, the experience has been purposefully manipulated to guide your decisions in a direction that suits the supermarket and their major brands.<\/p>\n

Here are three examples of what I mean.<\/p>\n

One. Quite the casino.<\/h2>\n

Ever noticed you spend three times longer than planned at the chain grocer?<\/p>\n

Supermarkets generally have no windows and as such, no natural light or reminders of the outside world. In a similar way that casinos have no windows, this is to limit our reference to the time of day and along with the bland, generic and streamlined interior \u2013 encourage us to stay longer, and therefore buy more.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also been shown that brighter lighting may increase the chances of us picking up a product and background music can increase the time we spend in a store. Even spotlights at the ends of aisles have been shown to increase the time we spend looking at the products under them!<\/p>\n

Two. Chocolate at the checkout.<\/h2>\n

The Achille\u2019s heel of any shopper, those sweets and treats at the checkout are no accident either. <\/p>\n

Impulse shopping is again well studied and retailers know what products will sell \u2013 what brands, at what price and in what combination. Note the lack of home-brand options, let alone healthy alternatives!<\/p>\n

High margin, high fat, high sugar and high salt \u2013 that is the recipe for the checkout.<\/p>\n

Three. The science of placement.<\/h2>\n

This is the part that really fascinates me!<\/p>\n

Based on eye-movement studies from as far back as the 1960s, products are even placed on shelves at levels and stages in the aisles to maximise interest and boost sales. Products which bring the largest profit margins (often calorie-dense) are placed at eye level or even between two shelves of ‘essentials’ to ensure they\u2019re seen by shoppers.<\/p>\n

Even within the store itself, staples and perishable items have long been placed at the very rear of the store as this ensures we walk through the entire shop to get our daily milk and eggs. Passing the chocolate, cakes and ice-cream on the way.<\/p>\n

A careful formula<\/h2>\n

What about those discounts on the aisle-ends? Chosen and stocked with precision. Combinations of products are carefully paired and cases are filled to ensure that the products whilst being discounted, don\u2019t appear cheap. <\/p>\n

Researchers also know that by placing discounted cake mix next to cake icing, or crisps near soft drink \u2013 increases the sales of both! We go to buy one (and often none), realise it would be better with both and end up buying the pair!<\/p>\n

Finally, aisle lengths are not even random \u2013 studies have been done and the verdict is in. The longer the aisles, the more products one has to pass to get to what we want \u2013 and the more likely we are to buy more things. But too long, and we won\u2019t pass down them at all. It\u2019s all a careful formula.<\/p>\n

Eyes wide open<\/h2>\n

Now there is not necessarily anything wrong with the fact that supermarkets are being designed to increase consumption and manipulate our buying habits. It is their space and their profit margins, but we better be aware!<\/p>\n

So next time you walk into the supermarket, reflect for a moment on what is placed where and how this influences your choices. Make active decisions on what you buy and stick to a list if you can (good luck!).<\/p>\n

Be under no false pretenses – the supermarket environment is a finely crafted science, and not a random collection of products. But whether it\u2019s just aesthetic acts, or commercial coercion, I will let you decide. One this is for sure, the supermarket chains know exactly what they\u2019re doing \u2013 and now you do too.<\/p>\n

Read this article, and more of Allesandro Demaio’s writing on health here<\/a>, at The Conversation, and read his previous comment with the University Post on the tricks behind the big soda companies, Hey, Big Soda – do you think we’re all stupid?<\/a>. <\/p>\n

universitypost@adm.ku.dk<\/p>\n

Stay in the know about news and events happening in Copenhagen by signing up for the University Post\u2019s weekly newsletter here<\/a>.<\/em> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The moment you walk in and grab your trolley, the experience has been purposefully manipulated to guide your decisions in a direction that suits the supermarket and their major brands.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":11860,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11859","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opinion","expression-news_article"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\nComment: Are our supermarkets manipulating us?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, 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moment you walk in and grab your trolley, the experience has been purposefully manipulated to guide your decisions in a direction that suits the supermarket and their major brands.","use_post_excerpt":false},{"acf_fc_layout":"Byline","is_author":false,"contributors":[{"use_registered_user":false,"user":false,"contributor_name":"Alessandro Demaio","contributor_title":" ","contributor_image":false}]},{"acf_fc_layout":"Content","content":"<p>If you\u2019re anything like me, you can’t get in and out of a supermarket without spending twice as much as you planned. What’s more, you always leave with three or four things you don\u2019t really need, and never went there to buy. <\/p>\n<p>Those incredible bargains at the ends of the aisle and tantalizing of treats at eyeing or grabbing height are an annoying, but random eventuality \u2013 or are they?<\/p>\n<p>Believe it or not, there is nothing random about the supermarket environment. The layout is scientific \u2013 finely tuned and carefully crafted to make you hungry, make you buy and even influence what you buy. <\/p>\n<h2>Conspiracy theory?<\/h2>\n<p>Now, I know this sounds like conspiracy theory, but forget the little green men \u2013 this is the real deal! <\/p>\n<p>The moment you walk in and grab your trolley, the experience has been purposefully manipulated to guide your decisions in a direction that suits the supermarket and their major brands.<\/p>\n<p>Here are three examples of what I mean.<\/p>\n<h2>One. Quite the casino.<\/h2>\n<p>Ever noticed you spend three times longer than planned at the chain grocer?<\/p>\n<p>Supermarkets generally have no windows and as such, no natural light or reminders of the outside world. In a similar way that casinos have no windows, this is to limit our reference to the time of day and along with the bland, generic and streamlined interior \u2013 encourage us to stay longer, and therefore buy more.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s also been shown that brighter lighting may increase the chances of us picking up a product and background music can increase the time we spend in a store. Even spotlights at the ends of aisles have been shown to increase the time we spend looking at the products under them!<\/p>\n<h2>Two. Chocolate at the checkout.<\/h2>\n<p>The Achille\u2019s heel of any shopper, those sweets and treats at the checkout are no accident either. <\/p>\n<p>Impulse shopping is again well studied and retailers know what products will sell \u2013 what brands, at what price and in what combination. Note the lack of home-brand options, let alone healthy alternatives!<\/p>\n<p>High margin, high fat, high sugar and high salt \u2013 that is the recipe for the checkout.<\/p>\n<h2>Three. The science of placement.<\/h2>\n<p>This is the part that really fascinates me!<\/p>\n<p>Based on eye-movement studies from as far back as the 1960s, products are even placed on shelves at levels and stages in the aisles to maximise interest and boost sales. Products which bring the largest profit margins (often calorie-dense) are placed at eye level or even between two shelves of ‘essentials’ to ensure they\u2019re seen by shoppers.<\/p>\n<p>Even within the store itself, staples and perishable items have long been placed at the very rear of the store as this ensures we walk through the entire shop to get our daily milk and eggs. Passing the chocolate, cakes and ice-cream on the way.<\/p>\n<h2>A careful formula<\/h2>\n<p>What about those discounts on the aisle-ends? Chosen and stocked with precision. Combinations of products are carefully paired and cases are filled to ensure that the products whilst being discounted, don\u2019t appear cheap. <\/p>\n<p>Researchers also know that by placing discounted cake mix next to cake icing, or crisps near soft drink \u2013 increases the sales of both! We go to buy one (and often none), realise it would be better with both and end up buying the pair!<\/p>\n<p>Finally, aisle lengths are not even random \u2013 studies have been done and the verdict is in. The longer the aisles, the more products one has to pass to get to what we want \u2013 and the more likely we are to buy more things. But too long, and we won\u2019t pass down them at all. It\u2019s all a careful formula.<\/p>\n<h2>Eyes wide open<\/h2>\n<p>Now there is not necessarily anything wrong with the fact that supermarkets are being designed to increase consumption and manipulate our buying habits. It is their space and their profit margins, but we better be aware!<\/p>\n<p>So next time you walk into the supermarket, reflect for a moment on what is placed where and how this influences your choices. Make active decisions on what you buy and stick to a list if you can (good luck!).<\/p>\n<p>Be under no false pretenses – the supermarket environment is a finely crafted science, and not a random collection of products. But whether it\u2019s just aesthetic acts, or commercial coercion, I will let you decide. One this is for sure, the supermarket chains know exactly what they\u2019re doing \u2013 and now you do too.<\/p>\n<p>Read this article, and more of Allesandro Demaio’s writing on health <a href=\"http:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/alessandro-r-demaio-8823\/articles\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>, at The Conversation, and read his previous comment with the University Post on the tricks behind the big soda companies, <a href=\"node\/20602\">Hey, Big Soda – do you think we’re all stupid?<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>universitypost@adm.ku.dk<\/p>\n<p><em>Stay in the know about news and events happening in Copenhagen by <a href=\"http:\/\/universitypost.dk\/newsletter\" target=\"_blank\">signing up for the University Post\u2019s weekly newsletter here<\/a>.<\/em> <\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"ArticleEnd"},{"acf_fc_layout":"OtherStories","headline":"","hand_picked_posts":false,"references":false,"category":false,"theme":false,"number_of_posts":"4","style":"default"}]},"taxonomyData":{"category":[{"term_id":47,"name":"Opinion","slug":"opinion","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":47,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":333,"filter":"raw"}],"post_tag":[],"post_format":[],"expression":[{"term_id":15,"name":"News Article","slug":"news_article","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":15,"taxonomy":"expression","description":"","parent":0,"count":11493,"filter":"raw"}],"translation_priority":[]},"featured_media_url":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/supermarket.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11859","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11859"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11859\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34351,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11859\/revisions\/34351"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11860"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11859"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11859"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11859"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}