Find The Best Buys With Shopping Tips

Most consumer surveys these days seem to show that shoppers aren’t stupid. They know how to read labels and can tell the difference between scam and reality in the supermarket.

So why is it that each year, along with thousands of beneficial, innovative products that appear in the store, there are also so many products that assume shoppers are stupid?

For example, products that have reduced serving sizes to minuscule portions so they can call themselves “fat-free.” (Fat-free is defined as half a gram of fat per serving.) Or the continuous stream of products that say they contain “no cholesterol,” when they never had cholesterol to begin with.

Here are some helpful hints that can help you save money and keep from being outsmarted in the marketplace:

Does the phrase “10 Percent More Free” get you to buy a product? Some items, beverages in particular, have packages that are larger than necessary to ensure that their production processes run at optimum speeds and that there’s no risk of breaking the law by containing less than the package states. These products are always “giving” us more than the label says, but don’t think that little extra isn’t built into the price. When you see that “extra free” label, look to see if it’s the same size package with just a new label.

“New and improved” can mean just that, or it can mean a new color, new flavor or new formula. There is no word more coveted than “new” for a product on the supermarket shelf.

Buy one, get something later. Most shoppers never redeem rebates or mail-in offers (in fact, studies show that less than 6 percent do), but it’s a great incentive to buy a product you normally wouldn’t buy. Decide that you really will redeem the offer before you put the product in your cart.

Healthy Choice started it and everybody else followed: using a brand name with the word “healthy” in it. The FDA doesn’t regulate brand names, just claims and ingredients. Another example is Weight Watchers’ Smart Ones - the implication being the package contains one gram of fat. Most do, but some have 2 grams.

Buying nonfat products but gaining weight? You’re not alone. Remember that fat, besides delivering terrific texture for a product, is also a bulking agent. So taking out the fat means replacing it with another bulking agent. Lots of the time, it’s sugar. Check the ingredients and calorie count. You may be surprised. You might be better off with smaller servings of the “regular” version.

“Tastes great” or “improved flavor” claims always make me wonder, “If it tasted so bad before, why should I believe you now?” The average product has about of a second to attract a shopper’s attention; they’ll try anything to make you notice and pick up a product. Don’t be fooled.

Love cheese? Look carefully in three places in your store for the same product, all with different prices. The dairy case will have staple cheeses such as Cheddar, Swiss, Monterey Jack, prepackaged at the lowest price. Both the deli and perhaps a cheese table may have the same products, but you’ll pay more. Know what you want - types of cheese, state of origin, age - and shop all three areas for the best price.

Do signs at the checkout that say “We guarantee our scanner price is correct or you get the product free” make you relax? Well, don’t. It’s improving, but there still are many errors made at the checkout. Bring the newspaper ad or circular with you to the checkout and make sure the price is correct.

Don’t go shopping hungry. You’ve heard this before, but it bears repeating. Supermarkets will bombard you with great colors, tastes and smells. Eat first.

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