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Who's Really in Charge at the Supermarket?

posted by LaminatorX on Wednesday July 15 2015, @06:42PM   Printer-friendly
from the illusion-of-choice dept.

Phoenix666 writes:

Shoppers like to think they're in control of their own food decisions, but there's actually a complex web of manipulations between supermarkets and food processors going on behind the scenes.

Who's really in charge at the supermarket? Most of us assume that we're in control of our own shopping decisions. After all, we are the ones with a grocery list in one hand and a wallet in the other. It should be that way. But the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) doesn't believe it's so. Most shoppers, even the most conscientious and frugal, can fall victim to the manipulations of a food industry that pairs up with supermarkets to influence our purchasing decisions.
...
1) Unconscious Mind

Our unconscious minds rely on habit and what's deemed comfortable and familiar to us. Supermarkets use tools such as windowless buildings, forgettable music, large carts, scrumptious bakery smells, and constantly reorganized aisles to make shoppers stay longer and, by extension, spend more.
...
2) Defaults

Defaults are what you get at the supermarket, unless you actively choose something else. This can be packaging size, product formulations, or standard food combinations.
...
3) Willpower Reserves

Supermarkets and food processors count on the fact that many of us will go shopping at the end of a long day, perhaps on the way home from work, or with tired, hungry kids in tow. That's when it's hardest to rely on willpower reserves.

It must explain why Cheetos constantly show up in the shopping cart.

Original Submission

 
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  • (Score: 5, Interesting) by ikanreed on Wednesday July 15 2015, @06:51PM

    by ikanreed (3164) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday July 15 2015, @06:51PM (#209506) Journal

    I don't think there's a lot positive to say about living in a consumerist society.

    I used to shop at a local food coop when I lived in a hippy-dominated town. I didn't care about "organic" or "wholesome" or "GMO free" or any of the other pretentious hippy pseudoscience. But I loved that I wasn't bombarded with brands and marketting and manipulation. Milk wasn't arranged to get me through the temptation aisles. Sugary cereals weren't put at child eye levels. It was nice.

    My grocery experience since moving away has been worse. You can feel the difference in big corporate stores, and they dominate practically everywhere. There's a real difference there.

    And faux anti-establishment type places like whole foods are just as bad. Except they do have the pseudoscience. So yay.

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 15 2015, @10:36PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 15 2015, @10:36PM (#209654)

    Sounds like my university life 40 years ago. I still shop for pretty much the same foods even though I live far away and in an overly consumerist suburban shitholeneighbourhood. What can I say, I'm a creature of habit.

    You don't have to fall for the supermarket marketing of fads and crap. You just have to look harder for the food that's actually good for you.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 16 2015, @04:04AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 16 2015, @04:04AM (#209793)

      Or just opt out of it all by eating soylent. It might not be as good for you as the perfect ideal diet, but it is loads better than the average american diet, and it requires none of the overhead typically associated with fending off the consumerism.

      I've been on a 100% soylent diet for 30 days now and have not needed to go into a grocery or convenience store once. I didn't even notice how liberated I was until I walked in with a friend the other day. It was kind of like using adblock - you don't realize just how bad the web is until you turn it off again. Plus you generate practically no garbage, just one plastic bag a day (or less).

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 16 2015, @03:49PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 16 2015, @03:49PM (#209993)

        The soylent facility is pretty horrible. Rat droppings and health concerns abound.

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 16 2015, @07:47PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 16 2015, @07:47PM (#210132)

          > The soylent facility is pretty horrible. Rat droppings and health concerns abound.

          And you know that because you put them there.

  • (Score: 2, Informative) by Kharnynb on Thursday July 16 2015, @06:43AM

    by Kharnynb (5468) on Thursday July 16 2015, @06:43AM (#209844)

    The one thing i really miss moving from The netherlands to finland is the open market(i guess you call em farmers markets?).

    Stalls with seasonable veg, meat and fresh fish... just vendors with their wares.

    --
    Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.