Supermarket Psychology in the US

Store layoutBasically the same at every major chain…

Open layout & high ceilingsMakes people feel more comfortable and that the whole world is at hand.

No coin deposit shopping carts except at Aldi

Instead….

Shopping cart corralsComfort and convenience. If a customer doesn’t have to do extra work to

bring the cart back, he’ll likely use the cart and buy more.

Entry GatesGates aren’t welcoming and don’t provide a sense of freedom, which is very

important in American culture.

Free Samples

Draw in and tempt customers to buy something they weren’t intending on buying.

Big carts

Cart sizes are almost 3x larger than those in the 1970s.

“Limits”

Limits provide a sense of scarcity.

Loyalty cardsKeep you coming back with deals for card owners and away from the competition.

On “special” or “featured”

Provides a sense that the item must be had, possibly on sale and that since it is on special it may become limited.

Check out temptationsCheap candy and gossip magazines are hard to resist, especially when one stands in line forever since there always seems to be just one checkout too few open.

Pairing items

• Graham crackers next to the marshmallows

• Chips next to salsa

Unrelated but often needed and rarely sought items

• Batteries in the soup aisle• Drain catchers in the bread aisle• Small bags of chips in the baking aisle

Sam’s Club and CoscoThe Ikea of the food world…

Sam’s Club and CoscoThe required membership gives a feeling of exclusivity.