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Supermarket shopping

When we go shopping in a supermarket, we sometimes buy much more than we need. We may only want to buy milk, but leave with lots of items, too. Why does this happen?

Supermarkets arrange their food so that we put more food in our shopping carts than we really want. For example, they put milk, eggs and cheese at the back of the supermarket. Most of us need to buy these items, so we must walk through the whole store to get them. On the way, we often put other items in our shopping carts. The candy near the cashier is another example; it encourages us to take some extra while we are waiting to pay.

Scientists have also shown that the amount of money we spend depends on the way we feel. That is why supermarkets work really hard to make us feel good. Just think of the beautiful colors and sweet smells of the fruit and vegetables as you enter the store, and the relaxing music as you walk around – it's all about you enjoying your shopping experience.

So how can we make sure we buy only the things we need? It's simple. Before we go shopping, we should write a list of what we want to buy. This way, we will shop more quickly and save money.

Supermarket shopping

When we go shopping in a supermarket, we sometimes buy much more than we need. We may only want to buy milk, but leave with lots of items, too. Why does this happen?

Supermarkets arrange their food so that we put more food in our shopping carts than we really want. For example, they put milk, eggs and cheese at the back of the supermarket. Most of us need to buy these items, so we must walk through the whole store to get them. On the way, we often put other items in our shopping carts. The candy near the cashier is another example; it encourages us to take some extra while we are waiting to pay.

Scientists have also shown that the amount of money we spend depends on the way we feel. That is why supermarkets work really hard to make us feel good. Just think of the beautiful colors and sweet smells of the fruit and vegetables as you enter the store, and the relaxing music as you walk around – it's all about you enjoying your shopping experience.

So how can we make sure we buy only the things we need? It's simple. Before we go shopping, we should write a list of what we want to buy. This way, we will shop more quickly and save money.

Supermarket shopping

When we go shopping in a supermarket, we sometimes buy much more than we need. We may only want to buy milk, but leave with lots of items, too. Why does this happen?

Supermarkets arrange their food so that we put more food in our shopping carts than we really want. For example, they put milk, eggs and cheese at the back of the supermarket. Most of us need to buy these items, so we must walk through the whole store to get them. On the way, we often put other items in our shopping carts. The candy near the cashier is another example; it encourages us to take some extra while we are waiting to pay.

Scientists have also shown that the amount of money we spend depends on the way we feel. That is why supermarkets work really hard to make us feel good. Just think of the beautiful colors and sweet smells of the fruit and vegetables as you enter the store, and the relaxing music as you walk around – it's all about you enjoying your shopping experience.

So how can we make sure we buy only the things we need? It's simple. Before we go shopping, we should write a list of what we want to buy. This way, we will shop more quickly and save money.

Supermarket shopping

When we go shopping in a supermarket, we sometimes buy much more than we need. We may only want to buy milk, but leave with lots of items, too. Why does this happen?

Supermarkets arrange their food so that we put more food in our shopping carts than we really want. For example, they put milk, eggs and cheese at the back of the supermarket. Most of us need to buy these items, so we must walk through the whole store to get them. On the way, we often put other items in our shopping carts. The candy near the cashier is another example; it encourages us to take some extra while we are waiting to pay.

Scientists have also shown that the amount of money we spend depends on the way we feel. That is why supermarkets work really hard to make us feel good. Just think of the beautiful colors and sweet smells of the fruit and vegetables as you enter the store, and the relaxing music as you walk around – it's all about you enjoying your shopping experience.

So how can we make sure we buy only the things we need? It's simple. Before we go shopping, we should write a list of what we want to buy. This way, we will shop more quickly and save money.

Supermarket shopping

When we go shopping in a supermarket, we sometimes buy much more than we need. We may only want to buy milk, but leave with lots of items, too. Why does this happen?

Supermarkets arrange their food so that we put more food in our shopping carts than we really want. For example, they put milk, eggs and cheese at the back of the supermarket. Most of us need to buy these items, so we must walk through the whole store to get them. On the way, we often put other items in our shopping carts. The candy near the cashier is another example; it encourages us to take some extra while we are waiting to pay.

Scientists have also shown that the amount of money we spend depends on the way we feel. That is why supermarkets work really hard to make us feel good. Just think of the beautiful colors and sweet smells of the fruit and vegetables as you enter the store, and the relaxing music as you walk around – it's all about you enjoying your shopping experience.

So how can we make sure we buy only the things we need? It's simple. Before we go shopping, we should write a list of what we want to buy. This way, we will shop more quickly and save money.

It was on 22^nd March 1954 that the world's first shopping mall, Northland, opened. Built in a suburb of Chicago, USA, the designer of Northland, Victor Gruen, told the press that it was the ‘shopping centre of the future'. Gruen was half-right, because although Northland was the world's first purpose-built shopping centre, it was his next design, Southdale in Minnesota, that became the model that architects all over the world would copy.

However, if Victor Gruen invented the mall, businessman Alfred Taubman perfected it. Taubman took Gruen's design and added a few rules to encourage consumers to spend as much money as possible. Taubman decided that shops should only occupy two floors. Furthermore, the escalators to move shoppers between the floors should always be at the two ends of the mall, forcing people to walk past all the shops on a floor. He also insisted on glass safety barriers on the first floor, allowing consumers to easily see the shops above and below them. Taubman wanted shoppers to spend as much time as possible in the malls so they would spend more money. He installed artificial lights next to the glass ceilings, so that as daylight faded, the artificial light increased and shoppers were unaware of the passing of time. Holding different events every week and local festivals could also bring in even more people.

Today, shopping malls have grown to the size of small towns and contain a lot of leisure facilities such as theme parks, artificial lakes and even ski slopes to attract customers. Despite that, if you spend a little time looking around the next mall you visit, you'll see that Taubman's ideas are still being put into practice.

It was on 22^nd March 1954 that the world's first shopping mall, Northland, opened. Built in a suburb of Chicago, USA, the designer of Northland, Victor Gruen, told the press that it was the ‘shopping centre of the future'. Gruen was half-right, because although Northland was the world's first purpose-built shopping centre, it was his next design, Southdale in Minnesota, that became the model that architects all over the world would copy.

However, if Victor Gruen invented the mall, businessman Alfred Taubman perfected it. Taubman took Gruen's design and added a few rules to encourage consumers to spend as much money as possible. Taubman decided that shops should only occupy two floors. Furthermore, the escalators to move shoppers between the floors should always be at the two ends of the mall, forcing people to walk past all the shops on a floor. He also insisted on glass safety barriers on the first floor, allowing consumers to easily see the shops above and below them. Taubman wanted shoppers to spend as much time as possible in the malls so they would spend more money. He installed artificial lights next to the glass ceilings, so that as daylight faded, the artificial light increased and shoppers were unaware of the passing of time. Holding different events every week and local festivals could also bring in even more people.

Today, shopping malls have grown to the size of small towns and contain a lot of leisure facilities such as theme parks, artificial lakes and even ski slopes to attract customers. Despite that, if you spend a little time looking around the next mall you visit, you'll see that Taubman's ideas are still being put into practice.