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Tricks of the food trade

Golden arches

Take a look at any fast food logo and you'll see that they're nearly always red, yellow or orange. McDonald's golden arches, Burger King's bun halves, KFC's red Colonel Sanders; they're all these colours for a reason. According to colour theory experts, shades of red, yellow and orange subconsciously trigger hunger and encourage us to spend more money.

Research has also shown that people eat more in a room with warm color surroundings like red, orange and yellow, as opposed to in a room painted in cold colours such as blue, black, or purple.

Tricks of the food trade

Pump up the bread

We all know never to go shopping when you're hungry because you end up buying more. Well, the supermarkets know this and have come up with a devious plan to make you feel hungry whilst shopping: wafting the smell of freshly baked bread from the in-store bakery around the store.

While most supermarkets bake their bread early in the morning so it lingers throughout the day, some have even resorted to pumping out the smell of fresh bread throughout the day to keep you feeling hungry.

Tricks of the food trade

Out of sight

Have you ever wondered how supermarkets decide what goes where on the shelves?

Well, it should come as no surprise to learn that high-priced premium goods are placed at eye level, because it has been scientifically proven that's where we focus our gaze when looking for goods. The lower-priced economy ranges are mostly kept at floor level or put almost out of reach on the higher shelves so we find it harder to get to them, or even notice them.

Tricks of the food trade

Fruits facing front

Almost every supermarket in the land has its fruit and vegetable aisles at the front of the store. And this is for very good reason.

Food experts and psychologists say the sight of fresh, colourful produce piled high at the front of the store installs in your mind an instant image of health, convincing the shopper that everything within the store is fresh and wholesome. Seems they these people really do think we're stupid...

Tricks of the food trade

McDonalds French fries laced with beef fat

In 2002, McDonalds settled a costly lawsuit after it failed to tell customers that its French fries weren't vegetarian, and were in fact cooked in beef fat. It was this beef fat that added to the flavour of the chips and made them more overtly moreish, ensuring we all went back for more.

Tricks of the food trade

Bulk doesn't = best

How many times have you bought a bumper pack of 24 toilet rolls when all you need is 4, thinking that it's better value? Well, it turns out that bulk buys aren't always better for your purse.

A recent investigation by a Sunday newspaper revealed that consumers are actually worse off opting for big-value bulk pack items such as crisps and washing powder. In fact, in most cases, by checking the labels and working out the price per single item, you'd save more money buying the items separately or in smaller pack sizes.

Tricks of the food trade

Supermarket sweet

Notice how it's always sweets and magazines at the supermarket checkouts. The former are there because your friendly supermarket manager knows that after a boring trip around his shop, your little one will scream blue murder when he sees a pack of sugary sweets at the end of his journey.

The same goes for magazines – after a boring trek through the aisles looking at nothing but tin cans, the sight of a celebrity on the cover of a magazine is enough to make you chuck it in your trolley.

Tricks of the food trade

Product placement

Another clever trick of the supermarkets is to place products that go together next to each other in the aisle to encourage you to bulk buy. For instance, notice how when you buy some tea bags more than likely there will be some biscuits nearby. Likewise, you'll also find strips of nuts and crisps next to the beer on the booze aisle.

Tricks of the food trade

Route planner

As we know, fruit and veg are always at the front of the store, but they're the only part of your essential shop you'll find on your way in.

Supermarkets hit upon the idea of placing the essentials, such as bread and milk, at the back of the shop. This is in order to make people walk past the rest of the produce, i.e. things you don't actually need, and heighten the possibility of impulse buys.

For the same reason, notice how changing rooms in clothes shops are always situated at the rear of the shop.

Tricks of the food trade

The 'unloyalty' card

When you're next at the checkout, don't think the request for your loyalty card is because the supermarket is being kind by adding on your points.

What they're actually up to is getting a glimpse into your spending habits. With every swipe of a customer's loyalty card, the supermarket can computer analyse your shopping behaviour, spot what you're buying and not buying, and gather enough information to target direct marketing to customers who buy particular brands or types of product. Cue you receiving stacks of junk mail in the post.

Tricks of the food trade