Supermarkets bring to
us a variety of things under one roof providing us convenience and savings too.
But did you know that supermarkets are not necessarily benign and budget
friendly after all? They are designed to make you spend more on things you
don’t really need. Don’t believe it? Here are some stealthy secrets from your
‘super friendly’ superstore.
Avoid the center when shopping for grocery
Super markets are
invariably designed around this simple principle – fresh food like vegetables,
fruits, dairy and meats are along the outer walls while the center aisles are
full of processed, boxed, canned and bagged foods. If you start shopping along
the edges and move to the center later, you will end up with lesser
calorie-packed, processed junk food and more of healthy fresh food.
They tease your senses
Ever wondered why does
the supermarket bakery does not have a calorie count on its items? The
captivating smell of fresh baked cookies with fine coffee aroma, the bewitching
look of beautifully crafted gourmet desserts and tantalizing savories, all of
it is designed to tease your senses and make you forget about calories or
health. You end up buying all the calories that you’ve otherwise managed to
avoid.
It’s all about packaging and presenting
Did you ever notice
that you are very likely to pick up a granola bar if the package says ‘no added
sugar’ and if it’s kept with health food, without actually checking the
calories count? The information on the package and its presentation makes you
believe it is health food, but if read the calorie chart you’ll see that the
little piece of health bar is actually worth around 500 calories.
The ready-to-eat meals from the supermarket are
as reasonably priced as you thought
After a tiring trip to
the supermarket, you might not be keen on getting home and preparing a meal.
Ready-to-eat meals in the supermarket present the perfect solution, a meal that
doesn’t need to be cooked (maybe just heated), and is not as costly as eating out.
But if you actually calculate, these meals are not so reasonably priced as you
may have thought. In fact, if you add up the meals for 4 trips, and compare it
to something you would have otherwise eaten at home, you’ll get a figure that
might surprise you. This is still not considering the extra calories you
consumed.
Time is an illusion
Supermarkets have no
clocks or windows to give you a sense of time. Flooded with artificial light,
supermarkets are designed to keep you in, with time standing still. The more
you stay, the more you are likely to buy.
Cereals are calories
You are made to
believe that cereals are healthy. Well, if you compare them to burgers and
fries, yes they are, but if you look at the calories count of 100 grams of
cereal, it will come to over 300 calories, which is a lot. Especially, the carb
packed sugary cereals that are strategically placed on lower shelves to tempt
kids with colorful packaging.
Self-check-out is healthier
Studies have shown
that self-check-out is healthier – both for the budget and the waistline. When
people are checking themselves out, the y leave out impulse purchases like
snack bars, candies etc.
Look high, low and beyond
The shelves at eye
level are often the brands that pay supermarkets extra for that place. Look at
the shelves high and low, you might find healthier and cheaper stuff.
Compare weight v/s cost instead of just cost
Most of the times the
discount on price seems so lucrative that you buy the product without actually
comparing it properly. If the $6 pack is marked down to $4.5, you’d find the
offer tempting. But if you compare the contents it might have less quantity to
another box marked at the same price but no discount. Remember, the comparison
should always be weight v/s cost.
Go for the small fish
Thanks to the
pollution, fishes have mercury and pesticides in their muscle and fat store.
When a larger fish eats a small fish, the small fish’s mercury and pesticides
get added to the large fish’s body. Hence larger the fish, more the traces of
pollution in it. Buy smaller fish, it’s healthier, or less harmful.
