- drink more water and you'll drink less soda
- eat more veggies and fruits and you'll have less room for dessert
- read more and you'll have less time for TV
The concept works pretty well across all aspects of life. But there is at least one place it does not.
Think about where you enter your supermarket. Most likely, you head right into the produce section. This doesn't make a whole lot of sense, as Charles Duhigg points out in his book (my new favorite!) The Power Of Habit, since "fruits and vegetables bruise easily at the bottom of a shopping cart; logically they should be situated by the registers, so they come at the end of a trip."
But he goes on to explain the logic: these companies have figured out that we actually end up buying more junk in the middle aisles if we've loaded up on produce at the beginning. It's like we're subconsciously rewarding ourselves for a job well done.
You've undoubtedly heard you shouldn't go to the market hungry, and you should always go with a list rather than winging it. Those two things are supposed to keep you on task. But now there's a third to remember. No matter where that entrance dumps you, make it a habit to head to the middle aisles first. Load up on the produce last. You'll end up with a healthier cart, fewer mushed bananas, and some extra bucks to go spend elsewhere!
