Some grocery store bargains: have been exposed as manipulative marketing techniques. Buying in bulk is common for students on a budget, but to get the most for you money be sure to check the unit price of the product. Using coupons is another way to overspend without realizing the ou
Students sometimes find themselves buying too much of a product just because of a so-called great deal.
They are not alone. Many of the grocery store bargains students may get sucked into are nothing more than manipulative marketing techniques.
“I usually end up buying in bulk,” said Mikkel Watts, a senior in civil engineering. “It seems like it’s cheaper, but if you add it up, you end up not saving that much.”
Buying in bulk has become more popular in recent years, especially with Auburn’s recent Sam’s Club addition.
Shoppers go to warehouse-type stores hoping to stock up on great deals, but they sometimes do not think about how long their food will actually last or if they truly are getting a bargain for their money.
This goes for grocery store deals, too, like soft drinks, meat, bread and multiple other household staples.
One way to make sure you are getting the most for your money is checking the unit price of the product, located above the price on the shelf tag of the item.
Using coupons is another way shoppers usually end up overspending. Yes, they can save customers money, but not if shoppers buy a bunch of items they normally would not just because of a coupon.
“I always have a good plan when I go to the grocery store, but it always turns impulsive,” Watts said. “I always end up buying more than I need.”
According to cnn.com, shoppers should beware of wording that grocery stores use when advertising sales. Promotional signs sometimes compare sale prices to list prices, but mark up the list price so it seems like a better deal. Many times, stores make regular price items look like sale items by putting them in bins and on endcaps.
Target usually offers multiple products packaged together called “best value” items, like a package of three deodorants for $5.
“You get more items, but they’re not really bulk items, like, for example, Sam’s or places like that,” said Ed Cubero, one of the Tiger Town Target managers.
Store managers of Auburn do not seem to think shoppers have problems with overbuying, however. Cubero said he didn’t believe customers stocked up on items just because of a special price.
Kroger manager Drew Kuykendrall said he didn’t think shoppers bought too much of a product just because it was on sale, either, but did think the groups who bought items in bulk varied.
“Students have tendencies to not take advantage, but families have tendencies to do so,” Kuykendrall said.
For grocery stores like Kroger, the corporate office decides on the prices of most items, but for soft drinks, prices are negotiated between corporate offices and soft drink companies like Coca-Cola.
“Coke and Pepsi usually alternate weeks on specials,” Kuykendrall said.
So, is it really the grocery store that’s trying to rip you off?
“I think it falls on the ones that make the product. The grocery stores are more of a middle man, and I think if anyone, the producers are trying to rip you off,” Watts said.
No matter who is doing the ripping off, or if it’s even going on, shoppers should always pay attention to details, like wording on signs and making sure items are really on sale before they stock up.
