Sneaky Supermarket Secrets :

You’re itching to get home after a hard day at work, but that carton of milk you emptied onto your Krispy Korn cereal this morning must be replaced. You pull into the parking lot of your favorite neighborhood supermarket, determined to simply dash in and dash out.

Entering the store, you make a beeline to the dairy section -- all the way in the back. Opening the cooler door you select the milk-fat percentage you desire from the shelf nearest your elbow. Heading for the checkout line, you remember that you’re about to run out of paper towels. Tucking a roll under your arm, you notice that your favorite snack item is on sale, fetchingly arranged at the end of Aisle 13.Soon you're pushing a cart and dangerously close to exceeding the “10 items or less” limit. Your dairy dash has turned into a $25, 20-minute exercise. Why?

The first part of this scenario is obvious. Being forced to walk the length of the store for staple goods causes you to amble past eye-catching displays and featured specials. Because you are already committed to a shopping experience you’re more likely to add to your list than to trim it.

There are mysterious forces at work. Remember when you reached into the cooler for your carton of milk? Shoppers most frequently reach to racks that are nearest eye level, or waist high. Even though you might inspect the expiration date, you may still look only at those racks nearest your reach. The lowest shelves will typically hold the freshest product.

On the aisles, however, the lowest shelves are not as prestigious. Supermarkets "sell" their shelf locations to suppliers. Prime real estate is occupied by top brands and store brands -- this would be that convenient space directly in your field of vision.

You might also find items attractive to children placed nearer their view. Why shouldn’t Junior benefit from an early education in consumerism? Let’s even give him a cart just his size so he can participate in the shopping adventure.

Supermarket chains spend millions of dollars to understand the psychology of shopping, but some of the most effective tricks are simple.

Many stores have an area near the main door sometimes called a "decompression zone." Generally, we enter a store at our regular walking pace. This area is clear of merchandise and allows you a moment to collect yourself -- slow down a bit -- take in the scenery.

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