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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: 2) by Magic Oddball on Thursday July 16 2015, @09:35AM
I thought "man shopping" was what groups of single feminine women did as part of their socializing rituals — though as a single non-feminine woman, I've always preferred book shopping or tech shopping...either way, you just came close to the way I do my household's grocery shopping:
1) Walk around house ticking off items we need in a grocery-list app
2) Take 3 minutes to drive to the grocery store, and if it's after 3 or a weekend, spend 5-7 minutes circling the damn parking lot.
3) Gather reusable shopping bags. 10 seconds after getting inside the building, be hailed from behind by somebody that grabbed one of the bags as it tried to escape.
4) Check list. Begin systematically getting items grouped by area (produce area, cereal area, etc.) for expediency. Discover the store is out of at least two items we usually get. Waste several minutes pacing the aisle trying to figure out what the hell else would be acceptable, then grab something semi-random that's edible and on a good sale.
5) Glare at the speaker/PA system, wondering why the hell the store keeps playing irritating music that's popular with young teens when 90% of their customers are at least college-age. Think fondly of the days when miming the use of a shotgun to blow the damn speaker to bits wouldn't potentially result in a friendly chat with the local police for making terroristic threats.
6) Glance down the list, realize that you somehow forgot to get an item on the other side of the store. Get stuck in "traffic" near the cash registers, where there's at least one child whining at a high enough pitch to hurt your ears.
7) Start self-checkout. Lose 3-5 minutes on system-mandated employee intervention on stupid things like scanning more than 1 coupon. Run for the door before it can decide it needs an employee to "assist" you with anything else.
8) Wait, where did I park again...?