Used in an English class in Austria to discuss sales tactics used in supermarkets in the US as compared to those in Austria.

1. Supermarket Psychology in the
US

2. Store layout
Basically the same at every major chain…

3. Open layout & high ceilings
Makes people feel more comfortable and that the whole world is at hand.

4. No coin deposit shopping carts
except at Aldi
Instead….

5. Shopping cart corrals
Comfort and convenience. If a customer doesn’t have to do extra work to
bring the cart back, he’ll likely use the cart and buy more.

6. Entry Gates
Gates aren’t welcoming and don’t provide a sense of freedom, which is very
important in American culture.

7. Free Samples
Draw in and tempt customers to buy something
they weren’t intending on buying.

8. Big carts
Cart sizes are almost 3x larger than those in the
1970s.

9. “Limits”
Limits provide a sense of scarcity.

10. Loyalty cards
Keep you coming back with deals for card
owners and away from the competition.

11. On “special” or “featured”
Provides a sense that the item must be
had, possibly on sale and that since it is on
special it may become limited.

12. Check out temptations
Cheap candy and gossip magazines are hard to
resist, especially when one stands in line forever
since there always seems to be just one
checkout too few open.

13. Pairing items
• Graham crackers next
to the marshmallows
• Chips next to salsa

14. Unrelated but often needed and rarely
sought items
• Batteries in the soup aisle
• Drain catchers in the bread aisle
• Small bags of chips in the baking aisle

15. Sam’s Club and Cosco
The Ikea of the food world…

16. Sam’s Club and Cosco
The required membership gives a feeling of exclusivity.