How Grocery Stores are Just Like Casinos

Many people think local grocery stores are designed to offer the ultimate convenience. But the thing is that they’re arranged to keep shoppers engaged and get them to spend as much as possible. In fact, according to behavioural experts, grocery stores are designed to offer an experience that’s no different from entering a gambling venue. They want you to stay longer and spend more.

Just like casinos and online bingo websites offer various enticing bonuses and offer to attract customers, supermarkets use various casino tactics to keep shoppers feeling good longer in the store.

Keep reading to know how local grocery stores are designed just like casinos.

Positioning with a purpose

Even though it might seem that you have free will in roaming wherever you fancy, smart store and casino design make it nearly a hundred percent predictable where most shoppers and gamblers will go first.

In fact, Vasillis Dalakas, a consumer behavior expert from California State University, told researchers that ‘Nothing in grocery stores happen by accident.’

As studies have shown that objects to our left tend to catch our attention more than the objects to our right, supermarkets are encouraged to steer customers in a counter-clockwise direction.

Based on that premise, it’s wise for the local grocery stores to keep shoppers looking to their left so they keep going back to the store’s interior. As such, staples like milk, eggs, bread, and even all bathrooms are all positioned away from each other at the store’s furthest reaches.

This segmented approach is further exaggerated in modern gambling venues. High rollers and professional players are confined at one place featuring high limit games, while more casual players are diverted through the cheaper casino games on their way to the lobby, elevator, and bathroom.

The casino design also takes into account the preferences of different demographics. For instance, slot games are enjoyed by a majority of female players, who tend to gamble among tamer crowds. To accommodate this, gambling venues make sure that there are many slot machines away from crowded areas.

The outside-in

The best designers know that the first impression is the last impression, and put a focus on what consumers see. In an attempt to slow down shoppers, grocers place fresh samples and out-of-the-box products at the front. Also, one-way entrances and exits make it difficult for shoppers to quickly enter and leave. On the way to exit, there are more endcap shelves, where products sell eight times fast.

Old school casino philosophy was based more on bombarding gamblers with casino games the moment they entered the gambling venue. In contrast, modern casino entrances are more reminiscent of grand hotel lobbies with their open layouts and beautiful artwork.

Music is playing for a reason

Ever wondered why you feel good as you go around the aisles in supermarkets? This is because stores want to encourage you to continue shopping. In fact, one landmark study showed a 38% increase in sales for stores that played music as compared to the ones that didn’t. All the positive sensations produced by music work together to put shoppers in a positive and healthy feeling mood.