Grocery stores and supermarkets are a crafty lot. Every year, they come up with new sales tricks that are designed specifically to make you spend more. But what they do not know is that you too, are pretty wise. Let’s discover some of their most common traps.

1. SPECIALS

The trap is that too many sales tend to encourage more spending. They fire up your emotions and cloud your reasoning skills. The first thing that we think is bargain without even considering the value.

What to do: The solution is to look at the real value of the item. If you are able to pay the whole price for the item, having it on sale makes sense. Otherwise, skip it because it is just the sale doing the talk.

2. BURIED PRODUCTS

The trap here is that most stores put popular products in the middle section of the aisles. The reason is to so that you can pass several other times in order to pick what you need. According to research, people are likely to buy what is in front of them.

What to do: Continue moving and skip everything not on your list. If you realize that you want the item before you check out, go for it. However, there is a strong likelihood that it will not be worth making the trek for.

3. PRODUCE DEPARTMENT

According to some experts, the reason fruits and vegetables are placed at the front side of the store is because buying healthy foods is likely to make you feel half as guilty as indulging elsewhere. However, according to Paco Underhill, who authored Why We Buy, the real reason is because produce often has the greatest profit margin. Another reason is that at the start of your shopping, you tend to be less disciplined.

What to do: Buy your produce the last thing. This way, you will not overbuy.

4. BE CAREFUL ABOUT ITEMS GROUPED TOGETHER

Most supermarkets tend to group related items together so as to encourage you to buy impulsively. For example, you might find that spaghetti is placed next to high-priced pesto. Deluxe cake pans could be placed adjacent to cake mix.

What to do: Recognize the trick for exactly what it is: trying to make you spend more.

By understanding these ideas, you will save money for more important things. Take that vacation you dreamed about. Take the kids to an amusement park. Buy that item you’ve been wanting. And above all, hire The Maids of Worcester in Marlborough, MA to detail clean your home so you can have free time for fun things in your life!