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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.
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1) Unconscious MindOur 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.
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2) DefaultsDefaults are what you get at the supermarket, unless you actively choose something else. This can be packaging size, product formulations, or standard food combinations.
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3) Willpower ReservesSupermarkets 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
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 15 2015, @09:16PM
they can manipulate which brand and what size you buy, and they can manipulate your route and thus how long you spend in the store.
and if you think you're above such manipulation, you're blind to it, and all the more susceptible.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 15 2015, @09:45PM
If you spend most of your time in the produce department (and other fresh food sections), then you skip most of the manipulation that goes on in the packaged food aisles.
With a little experience it's not hard to tell if produce is good or bad...except for avocados on the east coast--I swear the Californians keep all the good avocados to themselves!
(Score: 2) by Snotnose on Wednesday July 15 2015, @11:39PM
Sorry Charlie, my list is along the lines of "1 lb 92/8 ground beef", "1.5 lb 25-30 cnt shrimp", "1 15 oz can diced tomatos". Within those parameters I choose the cheapest.
Route within the store? I head left to produce, peruse the meat along the back of the store, if I need canned goods I hit that aisle, then I hit the frozen food aisle, and finish up at the deli section. Very little deviation from that route.
Then again, I've shopped at the same store for 3 years. I know where stuff is at.
When the dust settled America realized it was saved by a porn star.
(Score: 1) by DutchUncle on Thursday July 16 2015, @03:31PM
As noted by others, that's why they reorganize the store every so often - precisely to make you go up and down all of the aisles rediscovering the layout.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by demonlapin on Thursday July 16 2015, @12:41AM
Canned vegetables sometimes, frozen vegetables and fruit sometimes, but other than those and cleaning products I stay out of the middle of the store. That's where they sell stuff that makes you fat and tastes like crap (really, once you stop eating it, you'll realize just how fake it tastes).
Cooking is a very useful skill that people should be more willing to learn. It doesn't take much time or effort to produce serviceable meals, especially with modern appliances.