Echo Woven compiled these 10 smart shopping tips that it now wants to share with you. Read to the end and you\u2019ll be ready to dodge their marketing traps.\n\n

1. The last ones are the best.\n\n
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The food storage system has a\u00a0rule\u00a0that retailers have to\u00a0follow: whether it\u00a0is\u00a0fresh, frozen, or\u00a0packaged food, items with earlier expiration dates are placed at\u00a0the front, and those with later expiration dates are placed at\u00a0the back of\u00a0the shelf, which is\u00a0more difficult to\u00a0see. This is\u00a0a\u00a0way of\u00a0ensuring that foods with the earliest expiration dates are sold first.\n
Therefore, when choosing dairy produce and other fresh foods, it\u00a0is\u00a0best to\u00a0reach out and look for those that are \u201chidden\u201d in\u00a0the second, third, or\u00a0fourth rows.\n\n
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2. Products are fresher closer to\u00a0opening and closing hours.\n\n
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\u00a9\u00a0Depositphotos.com,\u00a0\u00a9\u00a0Depositphotos.com\n
To\u00a0find fresh fruits and vegetables, it\u00a0is\u00a0best to\u00a0shop early in\u00a0the morning or\u00a0just before the store closes. These are usually the times in\u00a0which stores get their\u00a0deliveries. This is how we will find the most diversity and freshness in the products we are going to consume that same day or the next.\n\n\n\n\n
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3. It\u2019s better to\u00a0use a\u00a0cart instead of\u00a0a\u00a0basket.\n\n
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\u00a9\u00a0Depositphotos.com,\u00a0\u00a9\u00a0Depositphotos.com,\u00a0\u00a9\u00a0Depositphotos.com,\u00a0\u00a9\u00a0Depositphotos.com\n
You\u2019ve probably read before that using a\u00a0shopping basket at\u00a0the store can help you avoid overspending, since, apparently, in\u00a0this way, we\u00a0would limit ourselves to\u00a0buying only what we\u00a0need. However, research shows that people who choose to\u00a0shop with a\u00a0basket are more likely to\u00a0not only spend more but also to\u00a0buy unhealthy products.\n
Apparently, the effort of\u00a0carrying a\u00a0basket makes\u00a0us more\u00a0likely\u00a0to\u00a0buy quickly and only what is\u00a0in\u00a0sight and within reach of\u00a0our hands. In\u00a0addition, there\u2019s a\u00a0very curious fact: the discomfort generated by\u00a0the strain on\u00a0the arm makes people more likely to\u00a0choose items like candies, cookies, and snacks that give them instant gratification as\u00a0a\u00a0kind of\u00a0compensation for their effort.\n\n\n\n\n
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4. Frozen products are often the best option.\n\n
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\u00a9\u00a0Depositphotos.com,\u00a0\u00a9\u00a0Depositphotos.com\n
There is\u00a0a\u00a0widely held belief that fresh produce is\u00a0always healthier than frozen; however, this is\u00a0often not the case. Take out-of-season fruits, vegetables, grains, and even fish for example: they may have come a\u00a0long way to\u00a0reach the shelf where they are now displayed\u00a0\u2014 seemingly fresh and healthy.\n
Often, foods are frozen at\u00a0their peak of\u00a0freshness. For example, berries begin to\u00a0lose nutrients\u00a0moments\u00a0after they are picked, so\u00a0freezing them as\u00a0soon as\u00a0they are picked is\u00a0the best way to\u00a0preserve all of\u00a0their nutritional value. After reading the label and making sure that they do\u00a0not contain sodium, sugar, or\u00a0chemicals, we\u00a0can rest assured that we\u00a0are eating nutrient-rich food whenever we\u00a0want.\n\n\n\n\n
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5. Do\u00a0not trust what the package says.\n\n
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\u00a9\u00a0DenisMArt\/ Depositphotos.com\n
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By\u00a0law, beverages and packaged foods in\u00a0the supermarket have to\u00a0disclose the ingredients they contain. As\u00a0a\u00a0general rule, these are listed by\u00a0weight, from most to\u00a0least. This means that the most abundant ingredient will appear first on\u00a0the list, and so\u00a0on. So\u00a0it\u00a0is\u00a0recommended that we\u00a0ignore the marketing claims on\u00a0the front of\u00a0the box and simply check the nutritional information on\u00a0the back. That\u2019s where the truth\u00a0is.\n
Claims like \u201creduced fat,\u201d \u201cno\u00a0added sugar,\u201d etc., may lead\u00a0us to\u00a0believe that we\u00a0are buying a\u00a0healthy product and that it\u00a0will not make\u00a0us gain weight. However, even \u201clight\u201d products can contain a\u00a0significant amount of\u00a0sugar or\u00a0fat. Green and overly general claims do\u00a0not equal 0\u00a0calories, 0\u00a0fat, and 0\u00a0cholesterol.\n\n
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6. Shop around the perimeters of\u00a0the store.\n\n
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\u00a9\u00a0Depositphotos.com\n
If\u00a0you go\u00a0to\u00a0the grocery store when it\u2019s busy enough you\u2019ll notice that people will most likely be\u00a0shopping in\u00a0the aisles located in\u00a0the center of\u00a0the store. That\u2019s actually where everyone spends most of\u00a0their time. However, the place where we\u00a0should be\u00a0spending more time is\u00a0around the\u00a0perimeters\u00a0of\u00a0the store instead.\n
That is\u00a0if\u00a0what you want is\u00a0to\u00a0buy healthier food. The perimeter is\u00a0where the freshest and least processed foods are located: fruits, vegetables, meats, dairy products, and bread. In\u00a0contrast, most of\u00a0the foods in\u00a0the center aisles are processed foods. This means that they have chemicals that keep them stable and preserved outside of\u00a0refrigerators.\n\n\n\n\n
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7. Forget about cards.\n\n
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\u00a9\u00a0Depositphotos.com,\u00a0\u00a9\u00a0Depositphotos.com\n
A\u00a0study\u00a0published in\u00a0the\u00a0Journal of\u00a0Consumer Research\u00a0tracked the shopping habits of\u00a0different households over a\u00a06-month period of\u00a0time and came to\u00a0a\u00a0conclusion that we\u00a0may have already suspected: shoppers who pay cash not only spend significantly less on\u00a0their grocery purchases\u00a0\u2014 they also buy fewer processed foods and more nutritious items than those who opt for credit or\u00a0debit.\n\n\n\n\n
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8. Not all that glitters is\u00a0gold.\n\n
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\u00a9\u00a0monticello\/ Depositphotos.com,\u00a0\u00a9\u00a0Depositphotos.com\n\n\n\n\n\n
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Vegetables displayed on\u00a0trays that are shiny, perfectly symmetrical, and precisely cut may be\u00a0attractive to\u00a0us, but, once again, in\u00a0this case, we\u00a0should not get carried away by\u00a0appearances. The fact that they are displayed in\u00a0this way may be\u00a0due to\u00a0the fact that they want to\u00a0attract our attention. They may be\u00a0inferior in\u00a0quality or\u00a0less fresh.\n
On\u00a0the contrary, fresh and first-quality fruits are the ones that usually have more irregular shapes and slight imperfections. It\u00a0is\u00a0always best to\u00a0be\u00a0able to\u00a0touch, smell, and look at\u00a0them. So, let\u2019s not be\u00a0tempted, and let\u2019s stay away from those that are on\u00a0trays and seem to\u00a0smile under the light of\u00a0flashbulbs.\n\n
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9. Looking down is\u00a0a\u00a0good option.\n\n
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\u00a9\u00a01000Words \/ Depositphotos.com\n
Where each item is\u00a0placed in\u00a0a\u00a0supermarket is\u00a0by\u00a0no\u00a0means random. Behind every shelf, there is\u00a0a\u00a0marketing expert who has planned the best way to\u00a0draw attention to\u00a0a\u00a0product and divert it\u00a0away from others. The main rule: \u201ceye level is\u00a0shopping level.\u201d This means that\u00a0products\u00a0placed at\u00a0eye level are likely to\u00a0sell better.\n
If\u00a0we\u00a0look closely, it\u00a0won\u2019t take long to\u00a0notice that the most expensive options are at\u00a0that level, while cheaper or\u00a0lesser-known brands will be\u00a0higher or\u00a0lower. But more expensive does not mean better quality, it\u00a0simply means that the manufacturers of\u00a0those expensive products have been able to\u00a0pay the high price imposed on\u00a0them by\u00a0the supermarket in\u00a0order to\u00a0display them there and guarantee their sale.\n\n\n\n\n
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10. Only buy vacuum-packed fish.\n\n
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\u00a9\u00a0Depositphotos.com,\u00a0\u00a9\u00a0luckyuran \/ Depositphotos.com\n
Experts in\u00a0fish and seafood advise you to\u00a0not buy them at\u00a0the supermarket because they\u2019re often not fresh. If\u00a0you do\u00a0buy fish there, do\u00a0so\u00a0only if\u00a0it\u00a0is\u00a0vacuum-sealed. It\u00a0is\u00a0not\u00a0recommended\u00a0to\u00a0buy fish or\u00a0seafood packed in\u00a0Styrofoam trays because it\u00a0might not have been kept clean before distribution.\n
What do\u00a0you take into account when shopping in\u00a0a\u00a0supermarket? Where do\u00a0you stop the longest and which section is\u00a0the first one you go\u00a0through?\n
Preview photo credit\u00a0Depositphotos.com\n\n\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Echo Woven compiled these 10 smart shopping tips that it now wants to share with you. Read to the end and you\u2019ll be ready to dodge their marketing traps. 1. The last ones are the best. \u00a9\u00a0Depositphotos.com The food storage system has a\u00a0rule\u00a0that retailers have to\u00a0follow: whether it\u00a0is\u00a0fresh, frozen, or\u00a0packaged food, items with earlier expiration dates …\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":79830,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[410],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-79816","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-life-hacks"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79816","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/30"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=79816"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79816\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":79831,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79816\/revisions\/79831"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/79830"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=79816"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=79816"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=79816"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}