How Ikea Is Making Money Off You
Channel: Money Thinkers
Date: 2024-03-27

We've all been there - you go to the store with a carefully planned list in hand. But before you know it, you're walking out with bags of items you didn't intend to buy. 
Those veggies on sale just looked too nice to pass up. And how could you resist when chips were half off? Before you swiped your card, you paused. "Wait...wasn't I just here for milk and eggs?" 
It seems so easy to get sidetracked from our shopping lists. Researchers estimate half of consumer spending is unplanned. Sometimes it's stuff we forgot to list. But psychologists have observed another type of purchase - the impulse buy. Those spontaneous items we chuck in our cart without forethought.
So what makes these impulse buys so enticing we stray from our list? And how do retailers like IKEA slyly encourage this erratic spending? Today we're unpacking the psychology behind unplanned purchases and what tricks stores use to get even the most organized shopper to splurge on extras.