Six Ways Stores Trick You Into Spending More

Buy One, Get One Free: This is another promotion that can mislead you into thinking you're getting a good deal. It's often difficult to tell whether you would pay half as much for purchasing a single unit or, for that matter, whether the price of a single unit has been inflated to take into account the extra item being "given away."

Many times the "buy one, get one free" offers are not better than the regular price of purchasing two items.

Fight Back: Before purchasing a buy-one-get-one-free item, find out what the regular price of that item is. Then do the math to see if you're really getting a bargain.

"Sale" doesn't mean a discount price: Retailers play on the assumptions you make. Consumers are trained that "sale" means a good price and these items are usually advertised in big, bright lettering at the end of store aisles. The problem is that what the stores call a "sale" may not give you a very good price. (Check out The Grocery Store Game (Janine Bolan) Page 28 for other tips of this ilk.) So the casual passerby will see the item is "on sale" and buy the product assuming it's a good price, when it isn't necessarily so.

Fight Back: Don't assume things on the end of an aisle or that are marked as "on sale" are actually a good price. Make a grocery price book so you know a good price and always compare the prices with other similar items.

Putting things at eye level: When you walk down the aisles of the store, notice what items are at eye level. They will be the ones that are the most profitable for the store, which usually means the most expensive ones. This is because stores know you are much more likely to see and choose something at eye level than something on the top or bottom shelf.

Fight Back: When shopping, be sure to look high and low before deciding which product to purchase. You'll often find what you're looking for at a lower price on another shelf.

Stores are quite sophisticated when it comes to getting you to part with your money. If you understand how they are trying to manipulate you, you are less likely to fall into these traps and hold onto more of your hard-earned money.

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