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.