Are Arizona Stores Tricking You into Paying Higher Prices?

Shopping for the Best Deal in Arizona

With inflation on the rise, we're all trying to be a little more savvy as we shop. Consumers seem to be locked in a constant battle between rising prices and the retailers who work overtime to separate us from our money.

Is it my imagination, or are retailers in Arizona tricking us into paying higher prices?

The Tricks Retailers Use to Get Us to Spend More Money

There's no denying the fact that retail is a psychological game and we're the intended target. Stores use some of these tactics to make us feel like we're getting a good deal, or paying less than we really are:

• Strategic product placement
• Leaving the dollar sign off the price
• Price tags that end with a "9" or "95"
• Cross-selling
• Bulk 'bargains'

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Stores use a variety of psychological tricks to encourage customers to spend more money. Here are some of the most common tactics:

1. Strategic Product Placement: If you've worked in retail, you'll hear the phrase “Eye level is buy level” thrown around all the time. Stores encourage you to purchase the items they most want you to buy at eye level. Moneymarshmellow.com says that some retail brands will even pay more for eye-level product placement. Alternative - and usually cheaper - brands are shelved closer to floor level.
2. Pricing Tricks: Stores often use strategic pricing tactics that make the cost of an item seem lower than it really is. Ever see an item priced at $9.99 instead of $10.00? Numbers just under the next whole number, numbers with fewer syllables, and taking the comma out of the price all make costs appear to be lower than they really are.
3. Bulk Bargains: I once went to a store with my dad and he pointed out a said that read, 10 for $10. "What if I just want one, he asked, will the price be the same?" This bulk bargain was an obvious ploy. Sometimes a retailer bases the individual price on a multi-product purchase. If you really only want one of an item, is it really a good deal to buy more, even if the price per unit is lower?
4. Store Layout: The layout of a store is designed for the retailer's best advantage. It's designed to maximize product exposure. Have you ever noticed that milk, bread, and eggs are all located way at the back of the store? You pop in for a gallon of milk and end up spending $73 dollars.  Retailers stick these essential items in the back of the store because it forces us to pass by all the stuff we forgot we needed on the way in and out. It's the same reason retailers keep changing the layout of the store.
5. Urgency Tricks: Get yours before they're all gone! Creating a sense of urgency encourages customers to buy now. Items that are being phased out or are only available for a limited time trigger us to make an impulse purchase, lest we miss out.

These are just some of the tricks retailers use to get us to spend more for less. Always.