Avoid the supermart and Mega-malls
Shopaholic Blues!
Back here in shillong this problem was non-existent in the mid-90s.
Everyone would go to their neighbourhood vegetable vendor and buy whatever they needed.
Whatever they needed !
It’s now been over a decade and the big boys have finally entered the market.
In the past five decades consumer trends have changed. ‘Consumerism’ has taken over!
I never thought the day would come where people would stand in line at the check out counter in an attempt to save money. The reality is you don’t save money at a supermart. Rather, you spend a little more or twice as much.
Quite often you’ll find people buying stuff that they really don’t need. As usual most of the extra purchases go into cubby holes and cabinets back home only to be thrown out or given away at the end of the year.
Now this might seem okay for people who have a decent disposable income but if you’re like me then it’s best to avoid the supermart altogether.
With that said there are little towns across the world where all they ever have is a supermart and nothing else for miles in every direction. You either shop there or don’t shop at all!
Below, I have a few business tricks of what I would do to entice you to buy a product which you should beware of the next time you enter a mart.
Ambience is key!
Long aisles, tidyness and air-conditioning all create a sense of freedom.
Had a bad day at work; hit the mall. Had a fight with the wife; hit the mall. Your business isn’t running as well as you expected; hit the mall and contribute to someone else’s business. That’s why these mega-marts create these big open spaces to ensure that you never leave empty handed.
When I visited KL, I realised that one of the malls (it was pyramid if I remember correctly) had more than five floors. Each floor was over a quarter of a mile long. I ended up strolling endlessly and even though I was on a shoestring budget I ended up buying something useless.
The next time you enter a mall, you might notice that the juice bar and cafes are conveniently located just as you enter towards the right side of the building. This is also known as the ‘invariant right’ which is a result of most people being right handed. The effect is that most people will look slightly to their right as they enter an open space.
The idea of positioning a cafe or a juice bar is to get you relaxed and in a happy mood just as you enter.
The aisles…
Space is allotted according to the popularity of the product. If a product has a strong brand presence they will pay (the mall) to ensure that their product is displayed at eye level. Small placards which are hung on the shelves also form a part of the paid space. All the other brands with a smaller marketing budget will be at the very bottom. In private retail stores the product that offers the most margin will also be placed at eye level.
In addition, there’s always more trolleys than carry baskets that are readily available. It’s always easier to push something around the mall and this encourages more purchases.
Then there are beautiful ornamental gardens and artificial waterfalls within the plaza. This is to create a diversion for you to look away and relax your eyes a bit from all the bright signage and colorful branding. And just as luck would have it there’s a vendor selling boiled sweet corn or cotton candy beside you.
Throughout the mall there’s soft piped music that sets the mood. The volume is adjusted perfectly. You can hear the rhythm of the song but can barely make out the vocals. Why would they increase the volume anyway. It isn’t a discotheque and they don’t want to distract you from the primary objective which is buy!
Sales clerks and associates!
A good sales clerk is generally middle-aged and looks exactly like your dad. They’re not selected for looks but more for trustworthiness. They’re at the cash register and generally perform monotonous duties. They smile every so often but they’re usually busy handling cash.
Sales associates on the other hand are much younger. They’re selected on the basis of looks or at least a pleasing demeanour. The requirements are similar to the airline industry. One needs a clean, clear complexion and above all brains. The women look like the girl next door! Being too beautiful is actually not a plus point. The management doesn’t want the sales associate to outshine the shopper. No, that would be rude!
The gorgeous women in any case are the ones who stand next to the new motorcycle at say, an auto show. They don’t speak a word but smile all night long. They’re essentially upcoming models who may eventually get into showbiz as bit players.
Eye contact.
All store attendants are trained to maintain casual eye contact during a conversation. It’s only when you tell them that you’re just browsing that they get back to what they were doing earlier. But just what is it that they were really doing remains a mystery. They’ll be arranging some paperwork or entering some important information into a computer. That too in a Mega-mart where the entire inventory is computerised and added overnight before it even opens. If you so much as happen to glance in their direction they’ll casually look up from their work and offer you a gentle smile.
Closing the Sale!
The moment we enter a supermart all of us are essentially ‘sitting on the fence.’ This threat gets magnified the moment a sales attendant (who suddenly pops out of nowhere like a genie) starts chatting me up.
They quickly gather information in the course of a friendly informal conversation. Then comes the kill!
The swift transition from plain interest in the product to my money on the table.
Statements like “Let’s move forward,”
“It seems like a perfect match, would you like to get going with this solution.”
And worse…or should I say, taking more control.
“Would you like it gift wrapped.”
Finally at the check out counters all the trivial items and knick knacks are prominently displayed for me to stare at! And stare I will because there’s nothing better to do while waiting in line. Products like cigarettes, key chains, useless cards, beverages and anything priced under a dollar. By the time my turn comes I’m usually sold. I’ll end up buying an additional pack of cigarettes even though I have a pack at home. This is because the ‘passive advertising’ has been working its charm on me for the past fifteen minutes.
At the check out counter they take my name and address but more importantly my email so they can spam the hell out of me. And if I’m lucky, (I always am) I’ll be offered a card that gives me a loyalty bonus or upgrade that I’m almost eligible for!
That said, if I ever enter a supermart again I’ll take a list alongwith me. I’ll buy exactly what I need and keep my ear phones on. Except the problem here is that the products are always carefully arranged. So at the hardware section (my favourite spot) the hammer is placed above the nails which is close to the screws. If I look up there’s the chainsaw I always wanted and down there’s the new electric drill and I’m in my early twenties all over again with my paws all over the place.
To be completely fair the reality is that we’re all only human. Regardless of how much we try to save we still end up buying things.
At one point of time in my life apart from blue-collar work I was in sales as well. It really hurt me to see my comrades eyes light up at the beginning of the year only to fall into depression at the end of it. They were all victims of the marketing game.
There is still alot of good in me!
And so I advise you to cut up all your extra credit cards. You only need one for emergencies. That card should be kept in a shoe box at home under your cupboard.
In fact it would be better if one can manage their expenses solely on cash. The card merely makes an individual feel rich on borrowed money.
Besides who really owns that money.
You do!
You and ninety nine other account holders. That adds up to one hundred percent. The lucky few are awarded a credit card based on their FICO or CIBIL score and the bank charges them and interest that is far higher than the rate of inflation.
Oh I could go on but I think I’ll stop here and save it for my next post.
Until then, imagine you have a set of horse blinkers around your forehead and buy only what you really need.
In the long run you’ll live happier!
