Retail Sales Techniques: Do Stores Trick You into Spending More Money?

Retail stores are constantly trying to lure you in with sale and clearance prices. However, more times than not, these sale prices are only used to trick you into spending more than you would have. Let's face it, if the item you're buying wasn't on sale, would you be buying it? Probably not. Every once in awhile, yes, you'll get lucky by finding something you actually need on sale.

However, more than likely you go to the store to buy a certain item but then out of the corner of your eye you see a clearance rack. You find a couple of shirts you like for under $10, that's a great deal right? Well, yes, but that's about $20 you didn't plan on spending. There are many techniques retailers use to trick you into spending more than you expected.

Layout of the Store

Retailers put the most desirable items away from entrances. Think about it; you walk into a store looking for the clearance items and you end up finding those items in the back of the store, farthest from the entrance. They construct their layout in this way so you spend more time walking around in hopes that you will see something you want but don't necessarily need.

Retailers also place impulse items near the register. These items are usually lower-priced items. For example, most retail stores place inexpensive jewelry near the check-out counter. Some stores place $5 to $10 items right on the counter; sometimes so many items are covering the counter you don't even have room to lay out the items you want to purchase. You have no choice but to look at these items and even play around with them while you are waiting for the clerk to check you out.

Yet again, retailers place the most profitable items in areas you will constantly walk by. Dillard's and Kohl's are famous for this; you walk into the store and run right into the cosmetic department. There is no way to avoid this department in the store because it's smack in the middle.