We investigate supermarket tactics that make you buy more

I have seen some extreme examples of this, for example Tesco charging £1 for two cucumbers or 90 pence for one.

I did start a government epetition to ban the practice of BOGOFs on perishable goods. I think I got a whopping 12 votes. 🙁

Last year I also emailed the chairman of Tesco suggesting they stop doing them, as you can guess they didn’t like that idea. They’d rather spend millions revamping stores ( e.g. moving stuff around again).

There was a Lords committee that published something on BOGOFs a week or so ago, but I’m guessing nothing will happen.

BOGOF = Buy One Get One Free

Brilliant!

It’s not exactly brain-busting technology requiring advanced psycho-analytical techniques to take more of the stress out of supermarket shopping. I also think more products should be displayed in alphabetical order within their category [it works well for herbs and spices I notice, but they say it can’t be done for cumquats and lychees in the tinned fruit department]. Incidentally, my feet usually tell me when I’ve reached the sugar aisle and my nose is also useful for certain products. I thought the answer to wasting time in supermarkets was to have home delivery but that introduces additional annoyances.

More excellent suggestions!

Perhaps I go shopping at the wrong time, but I’m afraid I have a gripe about the staff who are pushing big trolleys around picking home delivery orders: they seem to block the aisles ans stand around talking to each other as though no other customers existed!

I came across a similar apparent ploy in the local Lidl store. An advertisement for a range of special offers available on the following day appeared in the local evening newspaper. When I visited the following morning, not only could I not find the special offer items but all the shelves were full and there was no obvious place where the items could have been. This happened twice so I assumed that it was a standard ploy to get people to visit. I have to say that this was a few years ago and I have had no desire to visit this store ever since.

Tonyp – I have been told that Lidl have been doing this for years. I call in periodically to look at their hardware, some of which is very good value for money and some is mediocre at best. There is usually a list of offers posted on the glass doors, and this seems to bear little relation to their stock.

Shopped today – some M&S soup is £2, some £2.50 at normal prices – depends on the flavour.

They think it will convey the idea that their shop is full of fresh food. Its a marketing ploy. Although at my local Tesco the number of times you come across mouldy, damaged fruit and veg you really have to wonder.

They also put milk and eggs towards the back so you have to walk through the shop to get them increasing the chances of you making other non essential purchases.

Perhaps the supermarkets are helping by encouraging us to buy more vegetables and eat a more healthy diet.

I will carry on buying meat and fish to accompany my vegetables. 🙂

You may have a point Wavechange but for different reasons. Fresh fruit and veggies have a much shorter shelf life than most commodities, so supermarkets will be keen to shift them before they start to decompose. When you enter a supermarket you are feeling less weary than when you leave so you are more likely to go for the nice fresh grass greens, opulent oranges, rich reds and yummy yellows on display, not to mention the welcoming array and aroma of freshly cut flowers to greet your arrival and to lift your spending potential mood!

In contrast, don’t forget when you exit at the checkout that last minute high calorific quick energy fix sweet treat on display to tempt you and cheer you up when you may have been waiting in a long queue and feeling a little jaded, hungry and tired.

Thanks Beryl. I will try and pay more attention to the attractive displays of flowers, fruit and vegetables next time I drag myself along to the supermarket near where I live. Anything that can improve the experience of a visit to a supermarket is welcome.

On the bottom of your receipt there’s a How did we do section and a web address for submitting comments, I suggest you ask Tesco to explain. I’d be interested in what they have to say.

The bag size difference my just be down to the fact that they’ve run out of larger bags. Just like my local Tesco seem to always manage to do with mushrooms bags.

And nice way of attaching photos photos to your post, shame there no easy way to attach photos to posts directly. as we all know a picture paints a thousand words.

Andra – I expect that these are 400g or 800g loaves and that this should have been shown on the shelf label.

These open packets constitute unwrapped bread, I believe. Here is a link to the law on the subject, which changed a few years ago: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2011/9780111513156

Andra – Since these are not sealed bags, I believe it counts as unwrapped bread because the bag is not sealed. From the link I posted:

“Unwrapped Bread

6. (1) For the purposes of this article “unwrapped loaf of bread” means a loaf of bread which is not made up in advance ready for retail sale or wholesale in a securely closed container …”

I must have a look at what is on offer in my local Tesco.

In my experience Tesco do seem to struggle to match items with the correct label and shelf (and that’s assuming they have a label) could that be the issue?

I tend to bake my own bread, and I find the symptom you describe happens on a very fresh loaf, after its been left to set a few hours its much easier to cut. Just a thought. Although I wouldn’t put it passed Tesco, as indeed Every Little does Help them.

Andra – I spotted the Six Grain Loaf on sale in Tesco and it was the only loaf that I could see that did not have a weight shown. When I pointed this out to the person in charge of the bakery he told me that this is one of a range of new products on sail in the store. He believed that it did comply with the law but immediately took the loaves off sale and said that he would check the legal position. I was very impressed, and this is not the first time I have found helpful people in my local Tesco store.

One difference was that your Tesco was selling the loaves in open packets whereas the bread I saw was in sealed transparent packaging, which will make it a wrapped product.

Tesco actually asked me for my opinions on my shopping experience the other day and took note of my comments on various aspects. I commented on the quality and colour of the bananas and changes were made immediately!