It's time to do your grocery shopping. You've got your reusable bags and your shopping list.
It's designed to provide a transition from the outside world to a carefully curated retail environment that primes you for the forthcoming shopping experience. "When we see fresh things, like flowers and fruit and vegetables, it puts us in a good mood, we might be more relaxed, and we're going to spend more money if we're relaxed and feeling good.""There has been some research that has shown when you have a big trolley, you're spending about 40 per cent more – and I know I have done that," says Grimmer.The supermarket is a familiar setting to most Australians, who spend $4.
Studies have shown that high consumption of these foods is associated with an increase in disease and obesity.More like a casino than a marketThere are no windows, there's very bright lighting, and there are no clocks.Essentials like bread and milk are dispersed around the store."They want to make sure that you're hunting through the store, and then you're going to be exposed to all of these other products," says Grimmer.
But take a moment to look up or down. You'll see cheaper items from smaller manufacturers – the companies that are being squeezed out by private-label products. However, don't assume these products are healthy, cautions Adrian Cameron, an associate professor at Deakin University and an associate director at the Global Centre for Preventive Health and Nutrition .A supermarket's postcode can also influence what you find on the shelves.
"It's not just the retailer doing all the marketing," Cameron notes. "It's a combination of retailers and food manufacturers. The negotiations between retailers and manufacturers regarding product placement and promotion occur "behind closed doors, so you don't see it happening," says Cameron, who would like to see retailers introduce transparent policies around price promotions.
"There's a huge percentage of shoppers that pick up chocolate bars or chewing gum or soft drinks while they're waiting in the queue," says Grimmer.
Free the Weed! Then even the bugs we'll have to eat in the future will taste good.