Retail Theatre

Supermarkets are the like the Broadways of retail theatre.

They are visually enticing like a piece of art. Every item is placed where it is after elaborate planning, rehearsals and assessments.

Every supermarket is designed for you to buy more than what you need and to still come out of the process feeling like a winner.

Techniques like Planograms (a drawing of the shelf place which tells the staff exactly which SKU goes where), check-out items (impulse buys- gum, batteries etc.) shelf space buying (manufactures actually pay to be placed at fast moving spots- generally eye level), discounts (buy 2 get 2 free- but you needed only 1), loyalty cards (get points by allowing the supermarket to have your personal information and a complete profile of your shopping history) are designed for you to spend more. Other techniques include the layout of the store itself- don’t you almost always start at one point and go around the entire store even though you were there just to buy essentials like bread and milk. Which are kept far apart on purpose, encouraging you to take the tour anyway.

Some of these situations are win-win. You may actually get a deal which doesn’t undermine your intelligence. But a lot of them aren’t and being aware of them can only help us become more conscious buyers.

If Supermarkets fascinate you as much as they do me, there are some great material on YouTube for you to watch.

While the topic of Supermarkets and their designs is in itself fascinating enough, I try to have a life lesson in most of my musings.

So here goes- imagine our lives are like Supermarkets complete with all it’s offers, distractions and choices. What you put in your trolley are things that shape your character and make you, you. How would you spend your budget in that case? Something to think about!