Why Americans overpay for products: 10 reasons

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According to the Statistics Department of the United States Department of Labor, the average American family spends $ 4 000 per year (or $ 333 per month) on food, a resource writes CheatSheet. For many, this figure is even higher. As a rule, these are people who make gross shopping mistakes: they give in to children’s requests to buy sweets, take frozen food at the supermarket because they don’t have enough time to prepare a full meal, and buy separate snacks and chopped vegetables to save time at home. At the checkout you get a check with an 3-digit amount, and at the same time you have nothing to cook dinner.

Wrong shopping behavior is the main reason why the average American family throws out $ 640 food per year, according to research by the American Chemistry Council. And this is only due to poured sour milk or discarded rotten peaches. Americans throw even more money to the wind when they buy expensive goods, ignore sales, do not buy in different stores, and disdain discount coupons, consumer behavior experts say.

“It would seem like a big deal to clip a coupon, go to several different stores, or plan your meals,” says Erin Durkin, a financial expert and director of financial planning at EP Wealth Advisors in Torrance, California. However, such actions pay off, she says from her own experience. “They help save money and free up space in the refrigerator - now there is no food that I used to throw away because I didn’t eat or bought too much.”

Do you reasonably buy food? Check yourself on this list of the most common and harmful shopping mistakes from 10 - maybe you, too, throw money away to the wind, spending too much in supermarkets

1. Lack of product list

Buying food without a plan is one of the worst mistakes. "If you go to the supermarket without a grocery list, you're likely to walk out with food you never intended to buy," says Kendal Perez of CouponSherpa. If you don't like the idea of ​​writing a grocery list on paper, try the mobile phone apps Out of Milk or Grocery IQ - they make it easier to keep track of your needs and find special offers in your area. This is one of the most important factors for even greater savings in the store.

“Your shopping list should consist of items that are on sale at the store that week,” says Perez. “Planning your menu around what's currently on sale is the best thing you can do to save money and reduce your grocery bill.”

2. Pass through each row

A slow and methodical walk around the grocery store is very dangerous.

“Don't walk into aisles where you don't need anything, as this could lead to you buying too much,” says David Bakke, consumer expert at MoneyCrashers.

Instead of walking idly along each row, look through your shopping list and bypass all the supermarket departments in which you do not need anything. You will not put in the basket of chips or expensive frozen products, if you do not pass by them.

3. Shopping on the wrong day of the week

Plan your grocery shopping trip to catch the store's special offers. As a rule, they start on Wednesday, and in the first days they overlap with promotions from the previous week - so you can get a double portion of the benefit. Going shopping on the day the promotions start will ensure you get the item you want at a good price before it sells out. If the product you need is not available, ask for a so-called “rain check,” advises Perez.

According to the analysis conducted by the Ibotta mobile app, the worst shopping day is Sunday. According to the study, it is on this day of the week that ice cream, snacks and household chemicals begin to rise in price.

4. Shopping at the wrong time of day

You've probably heard that you should not go shopping when you are stressed or hungry. If your stomach growls while you walk between the rows, or you are tired after a long day at work, you make more expensive and impulsive purchases. In addition, if there are a lot of people in the store at this time, you are trying to get out of there as quickly as possible - thus depriving yourself of the time and opportunity to compare prices or look for discounts, Perez says.

A full stomach and the lack of haste are not the only conditions for a successful shopping trip. You can also do this before closing - at this time, many products that will soon have to be thrown away, if they do not sell out, are set at a special price.

“At the end of the day, you can usually find deals on meat—two cuts for the price of one, 50% off, etc.,” Durkin says.

5. Shopping in bulk

Promotions “Buy 10 and save” are always very tempting, but buying a lot of the same product or automatically reaching for a larger package, because in terms of weight, it will be cheaper - not the most economical option.

“Buying in bulk only saves money if you can use the product before it expires. If you buy a 3-liter bottle of ketchup, you are unlikely to benefit from savings,” says Bakke. (Opened ketchup will keep in the refrigerator for 4 to 6 months before it begins to spoil.)

6. Shopping в one shop

“Being loyal to one store will cost you money,” Perez says. To buy more with the allocated amount, it is better to spend it in several places. For example, Perez and her husband go to Costco to buy items that typically cost more at other supermarkets - maple syrup, butter and avocado oil. They buy household goods at Walmart and vegetables and fruits at Sprouts.

"Knowing which stores offer the best prices on the items you need to buy is key to saving money on groceries," says consumer expert Andrea Woroch. — Personal care products, for example, always cost less at Walmart or Target compared to other supermarkets. And pharmacies often have profitable promotions on cereals if you have their loyalty program. Do a little research on which store has the best prices on the items you buy most often, so you can significantly reduce your food costs.”

7. Ignoring your own brands

If you only buy name brand products, then it's no surprise that your grocery bills are higher than you'd like. “Try private brands of the foods you love most. Times have changed since we were kids—“unknown” brands aren't as terrible as they used to be,” says Ken Immer, president of Culinary Health Solutions.

“Many private labels are the same products, just under the store brand. The quality is the same, but the cost is lower,” he adds. If a private label's packaging is similar to a national or better-known brand, it's a good sign that the product may be made by the same manufacturer, Immer says. If you still find it difficult to give up famous brands, at least keep an eye out for discount coupons for them.

8. Selection of products only from shelves at eye level

It is a mistake to grab the first pack of coffee or quick breakfasts that you find, experts say. Shops usually place a more expensive product at eye level in the hope that you grab it, not looking at the shelves for a cheaper product. The same applies to the end shelves and layouts at the end of the row.

“The best priced items are usually closest to the floor, so get some exercise and bend over a little,” jokes Jamie Novak, author of Stop Throwing Money Away. “The cheaper products are always on the far right of the shelf, so go all the way to the end to find what you're looking for.”

9. Ignoring trading cycles

You probably know that canned pumpkin is cheaper in the fall, and chocolate is cheaper on the eve of Valentine's Day. But these aren't the only seasonal promotions worth knowing about. “There are plenty of other seasonal items that go on sale before you even know it—like oatmeal in January, soda in July, and peanut butter in September,” says Nedali Thomas, an expert on frugal living and founder of Princess Power.

In addition, every 6-12 weeks, supermarkets reduce prices on products as they restock, explains Thomas. Each product has its own cycle, so if you track the price dynamics of the products you buy most often, you can determine the weeks when they will be at a discount - and “stock up” on them. “With time and practice, you will learn to find the best deals on products,” says Thomas.

10. Inattention on checkout counter

Sometimes cashiers scanning goods may make mistakes, and it will cost you money. The Target network recently had to pay a fine of $ 4 million, when it turned out that sometimes a product breaks through at a higher price than stated.

“Watch how your products are selling,” Novak says. — Scanners that are too sensitive may read the barcode twice. Or the cashier will accidentally count out expensive curly parsley for you, when you have ordinary inexpensive flat-leaved parsley in your basket.”

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