How Buying Eggs Could Make You Spend More At The Grocery Store

After many exposés, Reddit confessions, and viral TikTok videos, it's really no surprise to learn that grocery chains consciously go out of their way to use many tricks — which are, quite frankly, genius — to make you spend more cash than you intended to when going into the store.

What still baffles shoppers is the kind of sneaky schemes that supermarkets employ. No matter how many internet hacks you've read to outsmart the cleverness of global supermarkets, every now and then a new revelation comes to light that proves there's really no beating them at the game. All you can do is give in to the tricks, fill up your baskets, and walk out with hopefully not too empty wallets and happy tummies.

A recent paper sponsored by the American Egg Board reveals that supermarket stores even use eggs to make shoppers spend more. Per the paper, shared on Supermarket Perimeter, it's said that on average, shoppers that have eggs in their baskets tend to spend more than $98 on their shopping as compared to the $50 that people that don't buy them shell out. So how do stores make you spend a whopping $48 more simply through this one item?

One way in which supermarkets use eggs to make you spend more is simply by hiding them in the store. According to BBC Food, some stores purposely tend to hide pantry staples like eggs, milk, and bread at the very back so that you're forced to walk through the entire store to get to them and will be tempted to throw additional items in your basket that catch your eye along the way.

The American Egg Board-sponsored paper shared on Supermarket Perimeter also reveals that oftentimes when you buy eggs, you automatically start thinking of all the things that you could be making with them. That then results in a storewide walking tour for all sorts of ingredients like veggies and cheese for omelettes or bacon as a side. Considering it's the holiday season, it's also likely that shoppers buy more eggs than they otherwise would, assuming that it's better to have extra eggs on hand for festive baked goods and Christmas morning or New Year's Day breakfast dishes.

Supermarkets also tend to use in-store flyers that have holiday food ideas, such as nifty little recipes for family gatherings and all the festive drinks you could be making like eggnog, with eggs at the center. So, what you might not realize is that in picking up a dozen, you probably will need 10 other items that you would otherwise not buy, making your grocery trip cost you that much more than you intended.