Shopper 46 is making a decision. Stopwatch in hand, I observe
her from behind a cereal display. Shopper 46 has been contemplating bananas for
four minutes and 43 seconds. Finally, she moves to place one with minimal brown
spots in her cart, changes her mind and quickly de posits the unfit specimen
back onto the pile of fruit. Shopper 46 exits the produce department with a
bargain tub of banana pudding instead. Working as a consumer
behavior researcher since last summer for Brian Wansink, director of the Cornell
University Food and Brand Lab, I have observed thousands of supermarket patrons
on the spot from Whole Foods to Safeway. In this economy, people are
increasingly trying to save money by eating in. As Americans make the
transition from restaurant tables to supermarket aisles, they are making
mistakes that translate into unnecessary expenses at the checkout
lane. Grocery. shopping might seem like an ordinary, mechanical
activity, but look around next time you’re in the store: Despite our best
intentions, we buy food impulsively and irrationally. We go to
the supermarket resolved to watch our pennies and choose healthful foods. But we
become lost when we’re confronted with thousands of products and brands. So we
end up spending ＄3.49 on an accidental bag of Doritos, ＄1.99 on M＆M’s. And
besides the calories, these wasted dollars add up fast. You
might think that browsing slowly through the store would help you pick out the
best products. But our research shows that’s not the case. The
shoppers I studied who took the longest, examining packages, stopping at
whatever caught their eye, invariably spent more money. They tumbled stray,
often unhealthy, items into their baskets, and later, when questioned, couldn’t
cite a reason for the purchases. It turns out that making up a
precise list beforehand and getting the errand done as quickly as possible is
the best way to save money. Cutting time cuts costs, as well.
Bananas Check. Special on Kozy Shack banana pudding If it wasn’t marked
on your grocery list, control your instincts and move on quickly. There is a misconception among consumers that, if they want to pick out tile best products, they should _______.