How to Shop in the Supermarket Faster, Easier and Cheaper
We all have different ways to shop. However, the way most of us shop – moving the cart slowly in a circle, perhaps making a rough list – offers many benefits to the supermarket while offering very little to the shopper.
This is because supermarkets use a variety of psychological tricks in the store. But knowing about these mind games and changing the way you shop can easily save you time, money and effort.
Shop faster: how to shorten the time you spend in the store
When you think of supermarkets, the first thing that comes to your mind is the music they play in the store. But do you know why they choose the songs that are broadcast? Most of the time, the music they play is specially chosen to slow you down. Slower music makes shoppers move more slowly, which means they’ll spend more time looking at deals and considering additional purchases. If you want to spend less time in the store, put on your headphones and listen to some fast, energetic music to speed up your store.
Impulse buying may seem like the fastest way to shop – impulsive shoppers tend to move faster and make decisions faster – but they also shop ineffectively, wandering around, forgetting things, and buying at random. They often have to go to local stores to buy something at the end of the week, spend more by the week, and expire before they can eat it.
The key to getting you moving fast and shopping efficiently is to eat before you buy to maintain your blood sugar. Even if it involves buying a snack and eating it at the door before you start, hunger and blood sugar have a huge impact on how you shop. People with low blood sugar move more slowly, think slower, get confused easily, and are much more attracted to unhealthy foods.
Make Shopping Easier: How to Organize Your Shopping List for Maximum Efficiency
You might think this is unnecessary work, but an accurate shopping list is the easiest way to save time and energy in the store.
The key is not only to have a shopping list, but to categorize it. Whether you’re using the app or the back of the envelope, break your store into sections and, if you’re feeling super organized, arrange the categories in the order they appear in the store.
This has two advantages. Firstly, you only enter each aisle once to make purchases, and secondly, you can easily determine if something is missing in the list. Make sure your list is as detailed as possible – for example, write “2 red peppers” instead of “pepper”. This prevents outbidding. If you buy a recipe, write down the exact amount you need – you can hardly buy a 435g bag of flour, but it reminds you to buy a 500g bag, not a 1kg bag.
Once your list is written, grab it and only buy what you have written down. If you find that you have forgotten essentials (such as diapers), add them to the list. Do not get carried away by offers and discounts if they do not replace the products on the list with more profitable ones. Packages of vegetables “for the price” seem attractive, but if you’re going to buy them, make sure you can eat them on time – if you’re only cooking for two, are you going to eat 1.5kg of carrots in one go? week?
If you regularly shop for a large family, you should consider shopping online, especially if you have to take the whole family with you to the store – kids love impulsive shopping! Shipping costs may seem high at first, but the time and money you could potentially save can be enormous, especially if you or your family members are prone to impulse purchases (or store tantrums).
If you only buy the items you are looking for on the supermarket website, your store can be significantly downsized as it is delivered to your door; especially handy if you don’t have access to a vehicle. Many supermarkets also offer off-peak delivery service at discounted rates.
Cheaper in the store: how to drastically cut costs in the store
We are often ashamed of money, especially if we have less than we would like. But the best way to cut down on your in-store spending is to know the price of everything you buy, which means you can plan your budget more accurately; Plus, if you know the price of your purchases, you’re less likely to let them go to waste. We’ve all thrown an extra unused vegetable into the trash can, but would you make the same mistake twice if you visualize throwing away cash instead?
Fortunately, this is not as difficult as it sounds. Many shopping apps automatically save prices and add up the estimated store total, as well as store prices for your next store. If you are keen to write everything by hand, write prices on your list when you shop.
If you have time, a detailed weekly meal plan can help you cut costs significantly. If you don’t have the time (or don’t have a lifestyle that allows you to plan for the future), make sure you don’t buy too much and don’t buy duplicates. Try not to buy ready-made meals – in addition to being high in sugar, salt and fat, even inexpensive meals are very expensive. If you have time, you can prepare ready-made meals from the supermarket at home at a much lower cost.
One of the best ways to do this is to get hold of last week’s sales receipt and find out what you haven’t eaten; staples like pasta and rice will last you long, but that sad-looking salad you throw away every week won’t improve your diet or your wallet. Before you go shopping, you should also check your closets – make sure you are not buying additional products that you already have.
Everyone can save time and money by giving up their usual habits and thinking a little about how to shop. If you take a little time and think about it, a weekly trip to the supermarket can be much less stressful and cheaper.