1. Have prices gone up or down recently? What effect has the coronavirus crisis had on the retail industry?
2. Do you ever go to a supermarket for a small purchase and leave having bought more than you intended?
3. When you shop, do you go and get what you want, and then leave, or do you prefer to browse?
4. Do you ever return home from shopping and wonder, 'Why did I buy that?'
Read infographic here: Supermarket Psychology Reading
5. What is your reaction? Were you aware of such pricing techniques? Have you ever been influenced by any of the techniques mentioned?
6. Are there any other methods of increasing purchases that aren't mentioned in the infographic?
7. How can shoppers avoid being manipulated? Tell me about shopping lists, fewer but more efficient visits, shopping when hungry.
8. Have you seen any examples of 'social proof' affecting people's buying habits?
9. 'A false sense of urgency' has affected the availability of toilet paper in the UK - what products have you seen affected?
10. Can you think of an instance where your favourite restaurant/cafe has used an expensive menu item as a means of making its other menu items seem more reasonable?
11. What soundtrack does your local supermarket/restaurant favour?
12. Have you made any purchases that you justify with a 'small daily equivalence' rationale?
13. Do any of your company's products promise 'esteem' or exclusivity?
14. Do you think that the disappearance of cash and the switch to digital payments will lead people to spending more money than they need to?
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Situation
In an effort to diversify his income, your teacher has opened a superette in his/her hometown. Advise them on store layout, pricing, and any other strategies you can think of.
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Discuss quotes
“In the fashion industry, everything goes retro except the prices.”
― Criss Jami
“That which costs little is less valued.”
― MIguel de Cervantes
"What is a cynic? A man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing."
- Oscar Wilde
"There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man's lawful prey."
- John Ruskin
"You don't want to negotiate the price of simple things you buy every day."
- Jeff Bezos
"It is no small thing for an American to be able to go into a fast-food restaurant and to buy a double cheeseburger, fries, and a large Coke for a price equal to less than an hour of labour at the minimum wage - indeed, in the long sweep of history, this represents a remarkable achievement."
- Michael Pollan
Student Handout PDF: Supermarket Psychology