The only reason why a business offers any coupons or prints weekly sale ads is to get you their business. Once in the door their hope to get you buy more goods or services. The big threshold of any business making money is to have you to spend that first dollar. Then when you have given up that dollar, while feelin good, all they have to do is offers enhancements for just a few dollar more.

Last week, I went to a local Albertsons that offered Powerade for 50 cents each, if I bought 15-32 ounce bottles. I could of have bought the same size of Powerade for 78 to 88 cents at the Winco down the street. Albertsons was using Powerade as a very attractive lost leader, to get me in the door.

When I walked through the doors of Albertsons to where the Powerade was, I passed by the bakery section. There in the glass display was a beautiful selection of cakes. By myself I would have just probably stopped and look, then went on my way. However, my wife and daughter were me. So we stood in front of that glass display case, thinking how good one of those chocolate cakes would taste.

To say the least we walked out of Albertsons with 15 bottles of Powerade, one chocolate cake, and several other needed items. We were hooked by that lost leader. Our original intention was just to take advantage of the sale for Powerade.

I guarantee that every store does the same thing. If they have really done their job well, the overall look and feel of the store along with the prices will keep you coming back as a regular customer.

The bottom-line is that you need to be aware of those hooks. There are three basic things you can do to escape a hook.

• Don’t go shopping hungry or tried – You will give in easier to the enticements of being up sold, if you are tired or hungry.
• Go alone – If I want to spend more money, I take the whole family. It is hard enough to resist the temptations by myself, but getting family members to resist temptation, could cause  a family argument, in the store.
• Go shopping with a written list – A written list will keep you on tract. If you have to go off memory, then you can be swayed emotionally.

Tags: chocolate cake, Lost Leader, Powerade