Have You Fallen for Any of These 6 Grocery Store Tricks Around Connecticut and New York?

When we head out with our list for the grocery store, we want the best deals that don't break the bank without sacrificing quality. We may even hit a couple of supermarkets.

We go to a Stop and Shop in Stamford or Ridgefield for everyday shopping, while Whole Foods in Westport is our go-to splurge. For an adventure, there are Stew Leonards across New York and Connecticut.

That said, grocery stores are businesses that want to make a profit. Prices are based on the cost of brands, the environment of the store, the supply chain, and the labor market, so having a variety of strategies to get us to spend even a few extra dollars adds up for the industry.

Have you ever knowingly or unknowingly fallen for any of these grocery store tactics to get you to spend a few extra bucks? According to the Interesting Facts website and my own education from grocery store employees, here are six.

READ ON: Have You Fallen for Any of These Five Restaurant Tricks?

BUY MULTIPLES OF THE SAME ITEM

This is a BIG one.

You can buy two cans of soup or four yogurts for just yada, yada, yada. It's always a sale price; however, read the sale tag's small print. Most of the time, you can just buy one and still get the sale price. You don't have to fall for the upsell.

ESSENTIALS ARE IN THE BACK OF THE STORE

We just need milk, bread, and eggs, but to get there, we have to walk through a labyrinth of foods, often passing items with big sales signs or beautiful displays.

I've totally fallen for this one, grabbing a couple of items I don't need because the pre-packaged fresh fruit layout was attractive or the chips and salsa on sale was too good to pass up.

COMBINING ITEMS FROM VARIOUS AISLE TOGETHER

You go to grab your favorite ice cream in the frozen food section, and the next thing you know, you're buying hot fudge and cherries sitting on shelves right there. Those same items are also sitting in their regular location, which could be at the other end of the market.

MAKING FULL-PRICED ITEMS LOOK LIKE THEY'RE ON SALE

The label on those crackers or chips may be big and bold, even using the word "special" in red. If it doesn't say "sale," then it's just an eye-catching moment, sometimes agreed upon with the distributor to attract our attention and make us feel good about the purchase.

STOCKING THE MOST EXPENSIVE ITEMS AT EYE LEVEL

Most of us are aware of this one. We see the name-brand shredded cheese or crackers immediately, and then once we take a few minutes, we see less expensive items up high or down low.

There is one exception that I had no idea about. Talk about tricky. The priciest children’s cereals are on the lower shelves, with cartoon characters on the boxes looking at eye level at the little shoppers.

FREE SAMPLES

Enough said.