Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure.
Proverbs 4:25-26
Whether or not the
estimate that households in the UK routinely throw out up to a third of
groceries unused is quite accurate, it is nevertheless true that most people
can save a lot of money by controlling what they spend at supermarkets.
Supermarkets are
controlled environments, designed and run to get people to spend more than they
had intended. Everything from the décor and layout to the background music to
the placement of items on shelves is geared to persuading you to spend.
Here are some of
the ways that supermarkets get you to spend more than you had intended on stuff
you do not really want.
- The fresh fruit and veg are near the entrance. It is fresh, bright and inviting, drawing you in. It is also heavy and encourages people to swap their baskets for trolleys before they even begin shopping and, having chosen to use a trolley, they are much less aware of how much they are buying. After all, they do not have to carry it!
- As a general rule, the more expensive brands tend to be on the shelves at eye-level; the cheaper alternatives higher or lower. The things that children like are placed on shelves at their eye-level, in the hope they will nag you for it. This is what is called ‘pester power’!
- The everyday foods most people buy, like bread and milk, are usually far apart, in the hope that as you surf the isles other stuff will catch your eye.
- Prices can be deliberately confusing. When fruit and veg are sold both in packets and by weight, most people would need a calculator to know which is the cheaper – half a kilo of tomatoes or a packet of six!
- Special offers are publicised in red, to catch your eye, but they are not always special!
I realise that the writer of the proverb at the start of this Reflection did not have shopping in mind but I think it appropriate when so many people take pleasure wandering around not only supermarkets but along high street and shopping mails.
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Copyright © All Souls Clubhouse Community Centre & Church and Philip Evans
2013.
Scripture
quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright
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