Don’t Fall for These 10 Common Supermarket Spending Traps

_{Are you spending too much on groceries? Avoid these 10 Supermarket Spending Traps to save money at the supermarket and your budget.}

10 supermarket spending traps to avoid family shopping in meat section - family shopping together in grocery store

Don’t Fall for These 10 Common Supermarket Spending Traps

Did you know that you can save hundreds each month by avoiding Supermarket Spending Traps?

And if your family is like ours, you have entered the grocery store for one small thing and left with a cart full. It happens to the best of us. There is no denying that grocery prices are on the rise, but did you know that your local supermarket is full of traps designed to make you spend even more?

It’s true, but if you know what to look for, you can avoid those sneaky supermarket traps. Here are ten supermarket traps to avoid the next time you head to the store. Plus, you may also be wondering, how much you should be spending on groceries. I have broken down statics and what the FDA suggests here.

woman shopping in produce section avoiding supermarket spending traps

The Produce Section – First Spending Trap

Most supermarkets have their produce section right inside of the front doors displaying all of the healthy fruits and vegetables that we should be eating. You absolutely should be purchasing the fruits and vegetables that you need in portion sizes your family can consume. That’s not why the produce section is at the front of the store, though.

The produce is upfront so that you will purchase fruits and vegetables, but then you will be so proud of yourself for all of your healthy purchases that you will feel like it’s okay to “reward” yourself with less healthy options as you move through the store.

Pre Cut and Packaged Produce

While discussing the produce department, another supermarket trap is convincing you to buy pre-cut and packaged produce. Yes, it is convenient, but you are going to pay a premium price for that convenience.

Instead, take the time to wash and prepare your produce when you get home and save yourself some cash.

Big Shopping Carts

The size of grocery carts keeps getting bigger and bigger. This is another sneaky supermarket trap. The large size of the cart makes you feel as though you haven’t purchased “enough” to feed your family. Look at all that extra space left in the cart!

If you only need to purchase a few items, consider grabbing a basket instead of a cart.

Don’t Shop Hungry

This trap isn’t the supermarket’s fault, but we’ve all made the mistake of going to the store hungry. If you go to the grocery store and you are hungry, everything will look, smell, and sound delicious.

This may cause you to buy items that you don’t really need or want simply because you are hungry.

Not Reading the Fine Print

Supermarkets will often run sales that offer multiple items “on-sale” for 10 items for $10, making you feel as though you need to buy all 10 items. If you read the fine print, you may not need to purchase 10 products to get the price. Each item may only cost you $1, so if you don’t need 10, you don’t have to buy 10.

Shopping at Eye Level

Supermarkets place the brand name, usually more expensive products right at their shopper’s eye level. The hope is you will grab the brand-name product and move on. However, looking at the higher and lower shelves can help to save you money.

In most instances, the store brand products are every bit as good as the name brand products and they cost less.

Changing the Layout

This is probably the most annoying of all the supermarket traps. At least once a year, and sometimes more often than that, the supermarket will change its layout, which means that nothing is where it used to be!

The theory is that as you wander the aisles looking for what you need, you will spend more money on items that you don’t need. Don’t fall for it, stick to your list! You can read more about layout changes here.

Buying in Bulk

While it is true that buying in bulk can help to save you money, you need to check the prices and sizes to make sure that the bulk purchase will save you money and not leave you with less product.

Check the unit price before you make your final decision. Supermarkets can be tricky sometimes, and sometimes the smaller package is the better deal.

End Caps

Watch out for the “deals” you find on the end caps at the end of each supermarket aisle. Sometimes the “sale” prices you will find on these items aren’t much of a sale at all.

If you need an item that is highlighted on an end cap, make sure that you check the prices on the aisle with that product as well. Sometimes, at the very least, you can find a generic version for less money.

Impulse Buys at the Checkout

You’ve made it through all the supermarket traps and headed to the checkout counter, where they put all of those expensive impulse purchases. Don’t fall for it!

We often feel we deserve a reward for making it through the store, but all of the items near the checkout are strategically placed and overpriced!