Food Theory: You've Been SCAMMED...and Never Knew It! (Supermarket Secrets)

I’m immune to the psychological manipulation of grocery stores because I have a little thing called an utter lack of money

Higher items are eye level
Short people: I cannot be stopped.

As a QUALIFIED MARKETING PROFESSIONAL and Business Studies GCSE A grade owner, I can confirm that all this stuff is encouraged in these Courses! We learn about these tactics in both Business Studies and Marketing. You can get entire *dedicated* qualifications in supermarket design and tactics. Thank you for shining light on this for people, to help them in this cost of living crisis!!!

My suggestion to avoid being manipulated by grocery stores:
1. Write a physical list
2. Write down the cost of each item
3. Add the total together
4. At the bottom, write down your bank account balance, write down the math problem, subtracting the total cost of your groceries.
5. Every time you think "I'll just get a quick snack", look at what your account balance will be after you finish shopping, think about other costs you need to deal with later (such as gas). This will remind you that you're broke and can't afford to buy extra stuff.
OR
Just write "Don't let them deceive you. Stay on Track. Remember: You're broke." on the list in bright red pen. The bright, alerting color will make that writing seem very important and will set off wake up alarms in your brain.
I do both of these on a regular basis when I don't feel like spending extra money, so I know they work. For me, at least.

"I'm buying one thing"
"We bought a zoo"
This hits WAY too hard.

"The ones that they want you to buy are at eye level"
Short people : Why are these items so cheap?

A nice strategy would be writing down the price of the items you often buy, then add up the items on your shopping list and only bring that specific amount in cash so you can't spend more than what you planned

I'd like to add something that's not always noticeable: Pinkish lighting is used in the central area of the produce section where the tomatoes are displayed to make them look riper. Take them to the lights by the lettuces/greens where the whiter light is, to see their true ripeness.

Here's a tip from someone who used to be a cashier: If you don't want something by the time you get up to the checkout just give it to the cashier. It happens all the time.

Supermarket: tries to make you spend more.
Introverts: "I don't have such weakness!".

My daughter who grew up with me teaching all the saving tricks was amazed that her college girlfriend didn't know any of them. The girl was raised upper middle class and had never been in charge of a budget before. Even the most basic things like not looking at the price on the shelf but the cost per amount. Like reading the labels on name brand and generic otc meds, and the money it can save you. She glad to learn it!

this whole time I thought my anxiety induced rush to get in and out of any store was a bad thing! Thanks Mat Pat, feeling better about my life 😭

POV: You’re a Schizophrenic and the voice in your head sounds like the guy who does those FNAF theories

Customer: I ain’t buying this
Store: ya like jazz
Customer: shut up and take my money

Some stores also relocate items somewhat throughout the store, even if still in the same aisle. Another way to keep you looking for what you need when you thought you knew where it was.

I may just be the weird one here, but I look up the exact aisle that the stuff I want to buy is on the store's website and make a beeline for those specific items -- no searching or wandering. I think I've impulse purchased exactly once in the last year (it was a whole wheat sourdough that I don't always find) and never spend more than ~30 minutes at the store.

Counter Tactics -
1. Have earphones playing low fast paced music.
2. Go to the same stores often learn the layout so you can grab stuff quickly
3. Head to the back of the store first, and grab priority items.
4. Get produce last.
5. Double check before you enter the line to make sure you don’t want to put something back.

For a moment I was like "the cheaper items are always in my eyeline and expensive products are slightly higher" and then I remembered I'm short lol

Took me 10 years and watching this video to realize Decision fatigue was a thing. I've been dealing with it at work when hauling massive loads of tasks non-stop in a fast manner for half a hour usually. Thank you for the insight!

Matpat made a good point about the shelf stacking. Being a nightshift stocker. I was specifically told to make the higher price items higher up. Compared to the cheaper options for customers. I always tell my family to look lower for items.

Imagine how strange it would be to see a guy with a camera on him while he's walking like a zombie while making gestures at an imaginary audience

They put the expensive products at eye level.
Me, a very short person: Haha, suckers, you lose!

As a Publix employee, I can confirm the shopping cart thing. We are trained to always ensure there are always enough carts because we want our customers to be able to purchase as much as they want

That's also the reason why grocery stores put the food you most need in the outer edges of the store- the dairy and eggs, the bread (but not rice), the veggies, the meats, all the other aisles are often things you don't need.

Here's two hacks:
1. "Mom, can we-" "No"
2. Use cash and limit your spending money (i. e. List cost approximately 30$? Only carry 35$-45$ in your wallet)

Imagine how stupid matpat looked doing that first person shopping bit, just some dude with a camera up to his face quietly making gestures with his hands

Fun! Thanks for taking us shopping with you.
How about a similar video on on-line grocery shopping?

Hahaha yep, my tactic has always been to go full, with a list and budget, eyes on the lower shelves (I work for a food company I absolutely know rental space on shelves is costly) and "generic brands" and one more thing - people forget the discount section (dented and ALMOST expired or out of season). I also bring my calculator to factor price per once things like that and wifi access so I can check prices against online and other stores (yes, I am ABSOLUTELY fun at parties)

“Fatigue buying usually happens at the 40 minute mark”
My dad two minutes after walking in: mmmm *C H I P*

So you’re telling me:
-Make a concise list
-Wear a pair of headphones
-Keep your head down (literally)

One of the best ways I save money at a grocery store is verifying the price I’m supposed to be charged with the price I actually am charged. Almost every trip there will be an item mismarked. Never in my favor.
Your job at the register is to watch the prices as they are rung up. Not to bag, not to chat, not to rummage through your purse.

So funny, the supermarkets in Germany are exactly like this too…funny to see how the psychology just works.
Ours are way smaller tho usually, the first time I was at a Target in Cali, I was like: WHERE IS THE STUFF I NEED?! THERE IS JUST SO SO MUCH STUFF! Super overwhelming.

MatPat: We bought a zoo!
Steph: Did you get the diet coke?
MatPat:
Dang it.

2019: A Heist with Markiplier
2020: A Grocery Run with Matpat

There's more to it than just what you mentioned here. Some stores also have special discounts which require buying items on a designated list, like Dillon's with their 'buy 5' deals, and these items tend to be random things that are spread throughout the store in places that take more walking, in order to make you notice more stuff along the way that you otherwise might ignore.
It's very deliberate that in the checkout where you often have to wait in line, you'll be seeing smaller packages of food which cost more compared to the actual amount of food in them, getting some people to overspend on those tiny chip bags rather than full-size ones which are more economically sound for the customer.
Then there's the deli section some stores have, which is often great-tasting food, but the price is closer to fast-food restaurants than typical grocery prices even on pre-made options. You're meant to smell the delicious things over there, taking more time to buy some of it, and possibly even going there first because the smell distracts you, ensuring they sell you that stuff. These sections vary in placement depending on the store, but they're usually near meat, the bakery, or both, and both sections have their own ways to get your money. Bakeries will display donuts and sometimes pre-packaged baked snacks that a lot of people will buy, while meat sections tend to have big, chilled bins of expensive meat in the open, attracting more attention to what the store profits more from.
If those things aren't enough, you also have the tiny restaurants actually placed inside stores. Sometimes this will be something like a Subway in a Walmart, in which case it might be some kind of rental deal where the store is just subletting space or something, but Hy-Vee actually has it's own burger restaurants now, and sells it's signature sauce in the appropriate section. I checked once just to get an idea as to how the prices go, and those Wahlburgers are way more expensive than most burger places, at least at the time I saw them. They may have adjusted that since then.

Being homebound due to disability, I shop online and it's delivered. However, I've noticed Instacart has their own ways of getting you to purchase more. First, as you start, they have pictures of items you have purchased before and of course ask if you want to repeat that purchase. When you put in a product to search, they often show you not only that item, but related items in hopes you make the purchase. When you check out - not yet you don't - they bring up a page that asks if you are sure your done shopping and they display products you have purchased before and those related to items you have and they think you might like. This way they hope to get you to purchase more.

This is basically the only upside of anxiety. The horror of being around other humans is enough of a speed booster to get me in and out of a supermarket in around 10 minutes.

"Over 50% of purchases are unplanned"
Me who goes into grocery stores just to buy random crap I want: "No way!"

I just got finished watching this video and your absolutely right!! I cant tell you how many times Ive gone into the store for just a few things and realized I spent more then I intended to!! And that check out line bit, thats the most anxiety inducing thing in the world!!

Growing up as a foreign student, living on a constant budget for over 5 years… I can confirm I've developed some degree of immunity to these tactics.
My trips to the grocery have grown to be a get in - get the list done with the minimum spending - pay & get out.
Of course I've done some impulsive grabs but those are rare and mostly come after realizing I’ve saved enough money or knowing I've had some spare money to do so

Is nobody else talking about how confused people must have been when seeing a random guy with a GoPro on his forehead waving his hands all over the place and waddling aggressively through the store, making sharp turns?

Rule 1 of the grocery store: Never shop when you’re hungry

I work as a cashier at a grocery store and you would not believe how many customers say they only meant to buy a few things and end up with a full cart/basket.
The basket is the worst because I always see them struggling to carry it to my register because the stuff is about to fall out.

I work in a grocery store. I only shop by a list and prior to doing any shopping at all, I go online and check the prices at my workplace along with a couple of other stores within walking distance (not gonna waste gas). Then I re-write my list based on what is cheaper at each store. Then I shop. I don't look at anything beyond what is on my list because I already checked out the other brands online so any adjustments have already been made. I hate shopping so it is a quick-in-get-out event.

“The expensive items are at eye level.”
My 4’5” older sister: *I am 4 parallel universes ahead of you.*

Solution:
Run into the store, ignore everything, get what you want, then make it to the checkout as quickly as possible.

Something I've noticed in my grocery store is that the cheapest stuff is EITHER on the lowest shelf or the highest shelf, making them difficult to reach in two ways instead of just one. I am short. The high shelf-ones are the biggest problem.

Thank you God bless great information happy new years 🙏🙏🙏

So that’s why it took my dad 6 years to come back with the milk

Oh, so that’s why my dad hasn’t returned with some milk.

I love "discovering" products I have not heard about before in the grocery.
My favorite unplanned purchase is an Oreo Cake (an official Oreo product the name of which I already have forgotten) which is hard to find in my country's groceries. I saw it once at Hi-Top more than a decade ago and never again.

Hi Food Theory team, you might not see this comment, but I would like to put it out there that this video helped me to get straight As across all my assignments for my ENTIRE module! I’m so thankful for all the work you all do and for helping me get that A! That's how well-researched these videos are!! I love what you are doing!!

I'm surprised you didn't mention my favourite trick: The size of floor tiles! Smaller floor tiles give the illusion of going faster. As you notice the clicking of the trolley wheels becoming faster, you slow down instinctively, which means you stay in the store longer, which means you buy more!

Here’s a simple way to not fall into these tactics: be broke. You can’t get what you want if you don’t have money.
(I hate doing the whole edit thing because it simply ruins the joke. Cause this was a joke. The logical thing to do is to bring the exact amount of cash you need as well as tax money, aka coins. Many of you guys suggested this and it’s true. If you really need advice to say money, then pay attention to the video. Now, please ignore this and continue with my dark joke)

We’re learning about marketing strategies in my marketing class and I immediately remembered this video. Tbh food theory has come in clutch for me on multiple occasions in that class

Easiest way to beat grocery stores: come in 20 minutes before closing

I can’t stand being in a store for more than 15 minutes. I start feeling really tired and start getting a headache. I think I’m the exact person stores don’t want

*me who successfully purchased only the bare necessities*
Grocery Store Cashier: "Why do I hear boss music?"

And more frequent than not, grocery stores sometimes put "sale" tags on items that aren't actually lowered in prices... Always calculate if they are indeed discounted or remember their regular prices for the items you frequented.

When i was growing up my mom taught me to always START our trip in the back of the store at the dairy section, then we'd work our way forward, ending with the produce section. I never understood why until i realized that it actually does work to save money. Especially if the freezer section is at the back of the store, because that puts you on a time limit to finish shopping sooner.

Matpat : They purposely make the aisles narrow so you can’t leave”
Parents who brought their child with them : *I don’t have such weaknesses*

my mom: "I'm only going in there for one thing!"
also my mom: *buys the whole store*

the music thing is really interesting, because i usually either listen to my own music or put earplugs in when shopping because I find grocery shopping especially to be overwhelming. and since the music i listen to is either pop or r&b, and always fast-paced, i tend to grocery shop very quickly.

3:55 my local grocery stores play the most loud irritating music in the universe 😂 and its not just *grocery* stores. i often wear earphones just to focus

Game Theory: Some of these imaginary characters may be secretly evil, or something.
Food Theory: Here's how to save $100 a month.

One time a cashier called the police on me for buying very little because “Nobody buys one bottle of coke” and “You must be stealing”

After living in Japan, where shopping bags were not free every where, I got used to bringing my own shopping bag or backpack. I had to stop shopping when my bags became full. I couldn't just carry more cuz I had to navigate my bicycle as transportation. Its an interesting limit: buy what you can physically carry. When the bags are full, its time to go.

12:20 So people don't just leave behind items they might not need when they're at the checkout? This is a really common thing here in Brazil, some places even have a basket where you can leave the things you won't end up buying

"Expensive items are closer to the top at eye level" well good thing I'm short and the cheap stuff is my eye level

"don't use a cart if a basket will suffice" this assumes the store offers baskets at all, which is becoming increasingly uncommon

I got started on free pick up at my store during Covid. It's great because I don't see any of the "sales", "bargains", or impulse items. I know what the cost is before I go and can adjust as needed to fit my budget. I know a lot of people want to get their own produce or dairy but it truly hasn't been a problem for us.

As somebody who currently works in a grocery store, yes Matt is absolutely correct. The grocery store is designed psychologically to make you buy things that you don’t need.

get in, get out asap
introverts: now this is my field of expertise

Grocery stores be like:
Buy one Diet Coke for the price of two and get one FREE!

Im immuned to all their psychological tactics with the help of a little map called "A Shopping List"
It never fails me

Though I read it later, a book titled "The Hidden Persuaders" published in 1957, covered a whole lot of the tricks already used then.

me: *takes 15 minutes with my normal shopping*
the store: how dare, get back here

Tips from a teen who's been on too many shopping trips:
1. Listen to your own music. Picking something more upbeat (rock or pop) tends to create a more urgent atmosphere.
2. Make a list of desires while you shop. Writing them down will null your urge to buy the item in the moment.
3. With the list you have for necessities, put them in the order you will navigate the store through. Aka starting with the food at the entrance and working your way to the other end of the store.
4. Get a cart. I know this completely contradicts Matpat's point, but it's better for the environment to use reusable bags. Plus, you can open them up in the cart fo items so you're organized before checkout.

Lately a certain local grocery store hides the generic brands to try to force you to buy the more expensive brand name products.They do this several times a week.

Nice production, good info. Any effort expended towards educating the public about their psychology is a step forward against insanity, panic, psychosis.

You should do a “Survivalist” episode where you figure out the best foods and water retrieval systems to have during an apocalypse.
ie) boiling water from a lake vs rain collection. Hunting vs gathering / domestication

Me, working in the food broker industry: He ain't wrong.

I can verify the point made @ 9:30.
I'm a personal shopper and what's annoying is that my store changes 20% of item locations on a weekly basis not to mention new seasonal items that randomly pop up for short durations which makes it hard to find what you're looking for!
I've worked and shopped at my store for over 2 yrs but sometimes when shopping lists for customers I have to short items and mark "cannot find item" despite it being in stock just because our store is huge and our corporate marketing geniuses insist on keeping customers confused so they end up wandering around the store and picking up things they weren't originally intending on buying😑
Our in-store team does Not consistently update product locations in our proprietary shopper app so referring to a specific given location for an item in the store often times is just a dead end.

Another part about the check out aisle that Matt overlooked is that they have candies and small toys at eye level for small children to see and get the "I wants" and at this point you are likely just ready to leave and either think "they have been good it'll be fine if they have a little treat" or "fine just stop pestering me about it" adding another expense. Even more if you have multiple children and you want to be fair.

i was not expecting the “HEY HONEY, I BOUGHT A ZOO”

Me: Food theory? That sounds dumb
1.5 hours later
Me: I didn’t know I needed this until now
Mat pat: Yes... just like the stores.

I've worked at a store and I noticed the shopping cart thing to be different. More often than not the people with a large cat had very few items whereas the people who got a smaller cart or basket usually had it absolutely FULL and overflowing by checkout and they'd always say the same thing, "I only came in for just a few things.", but usually the "deals" kept them there getting more...

I shop in 2 aisles and one other whole section, the international food aisle, the beverage aisle, and the produce section. I can get everything I need by going to those 3 sections and its helped so much with keeping to my budget

First theory: fries
Latest theory: grocery store
Favorite theory: kool aid man
Loving this channel. I hope it grows well.

Store: Plays heavy metal
Everyone: *CONFUSED SCREAMING*

MAT! I just finished at the grocery store and I followed ALL of your tips, looked at the little labels, looked on bottom shelf’s, kept my time short there and boom! SAVED me so much money compared to last time

0:28
MatPat: Hey honey, we bought a zoo!
Me: But I wanted McDonald's...

As one who was in the grocery buissness for over 3 years, this is all true.

I can't believe you forgot to mention one of the most powerful tricks: constant store rearrangement. It feels like the store is rearranged every few times we go

You have to make more fpv vidios like this they are so fun and immersive!

OMG!! I went to the grocery another day looking for one item that I wanted. But can’t find what I’m looking for. So I waited to go to a different store where I know where everything is but I got to that store they’ve been moved around too. I was so frustrated and tired running around looking for one item. I got mad and left the store. I told myself I can live with out it. Thank you for sharing your information. 🙏🙏🙏❤️❤️❤️

“A labyrinth of sounds and smells, misdirection and misfortune”

I work at Wal Mart as a cashier and the 2 questions i ask every customer are: "Did you find everything you were looking for?" "And how much extra?"

I work in a produce department who’s mister is currently broken and I can tell you first hand the water does not make the food spoil faster, it’s actually filled with mild anti fungal and antibiotic chemicals that prevent the growth of food borne Illnesses and mold.

Standard trip to Walmart- going to get 1 item for $8.99, left spending $300, and you get home only to realize you forgot to get what you came for!!🤦‍♂️