Battle for cash playing out in supermarket aisles

Grocery shopping only a minor expense? Think again.

The average American family of four spends $9,200 a year on food, rounded to $10,000 when paper goods and personal-care products are added to the mix. Overall, it's estimated that Americans spend $1.5 billion a day on groceries.

Yep, supermarket shopping is big business. And, there's a battle playing out in the aisles in front of you encourage you to spend more, according to a recent report by CNBC. In fact, stores are using both low- and high-tech tools to snag a larger share of the $500 billion a year business.

When a consumer walks into a market, they're being monitored. Stores are using brand-loyalty cards and video cameras to track your every move, analyzing buying behavior and figuring out what techniques inspire you to buy more.

For example, stores are doubling the size of their shopping carts. A recent experiment found that the average shopper buys 40 percent more with the larger carts. Apparently, size does matter. Also, newer stores are staying away from the typical straight aisles associated with old-school supermarkets and opting for a design that inspires shoppers to meander. Grocery staples—like milk, bread and butter-- are set up in the farthest corner of the store.

Other techniques like spraying produce and setting up the bakery at the front of the store are set up to appeal to the senses and ultimately entice patrons to buy more.

How can shoppers suit up and stay away from unnecessary purchases? Martin Lindstrom, a marketing consultant, offers several tips to outsmart the store.

His advice:

• Don't bring the kids with you when you shop
• Carry things in your arms instead of using a shopping cart
• Use cash instead of paying with a credit card

Click here for the lowdown.

Supermarket consumers may face sticker shock

There's a bill being pushed through the Massachusetts legislature that will allow grocery stores to conveniently leave off price tags on items. With this new proposal, consumers are expected to rely on electronic scanners instead of item-by-item pricing.

John Hurst, the president of the Retailers Association of Massachusetts, tells The Enterprise in Brockton that “consumers will benefit in the form of lower prices and shortened lines once stores no longer need to devote resources to item-by-item pricing.”

Watchdog Edgar Dworsky, the founder of ConsumerWorld.org, believes it's a ploy to cheat consumers.

“They’re not going to pass on savings to consumers,” Dworsky says. “It’s going to go to pad their bottom line.”