Sneaky Ways Grocery Stores Are Scamming You Without You Knowing 

Which is your go-to grocery store?

it's best to go to the grocery store after you just ate.

And Walmart's biggest mistake was offering the shop for you and bring it to you car service. I'm not in the store impulse buying and that saves me so much money.

Next video: "How Mashed videos tricks you into watching it"

Also, since I used to work in a grocery store I know the following. When they stock the shelves they always put the newest in the back. So I always reach in the back.

My ex used to fall for these scams all the time ...when she left...the first year I saved 21k

Stuff you didn't mention: 1) Repackaging meat - Some stores will take expired meat and repackage it so it looks like it's still good for 2-3 more days. The way the stores were caught...The inspector used a small metal stamp to mark the styrofoam of packages which expired that day. Imagine their surprise when they came in the next and found the exact packages now labeled they were good for another three. The stores just tore off the plastic, rewrapped the trays and put a new sticker on them. 2) If your grocery store has a restaurant in it, be careful. A lot of food which is expired will be sent to the kitchen. While cooking will probably give it a day or two more shelf life. It's still a little iffy if they're doing 1) as well. 3) Sometimes those packages of chicken are also opened up and put on the long trays in the display cases. I've seen meat department employees more than once open a package, sniff it, and then put the stuff out for sale. 4) Check expiration dates ALWAYS. One time a customer complained because they found an organic protein drink which expired TWO YEARS earlier. Yeah, two years! I even have a picture. All the manager of the department would say is, "We don't always have time to check." It's good you suggested a conversion app. But also get a grocery app which lets you designate isles. That's what mine does. So when I compose a grocery list it'll place my items in order of the layout of the store. So no more backtracking because you forgot something.

A grocery store near me was selling cut pork 'tenderloins'. You had to buy them in amounts over 10lb. After getting home, and opening it up, it turned out, only the top portions were tenderloins. About 12 pieces in total. Everything under the top layer was extremely fatty pork chops. So, the bottom two layers were not tenderloins.

Another 'scam' they use, that was left out in this video, was the fact that grocery stores change the location of their products, in order to get people to go to other parts of the store. That's why you see your favourite products being moved around.

I've always said the same thing about organic produce and the eggs, no way to tell and it's just a scam

It's like ANY business, it's marketing and promotion. What business doesn't do its best to make you buy as much as you can. You the consumer ultimately decide.

Yes we the people are very aware how much we are being ripped off by the stores. Also by the packaging as well. Food amounts getting smaller do to very sneaky packaging designs. With prices going higher.

You forgot the real pet peeves.....for example a 1/2 gallon of ice cream is now just 48 damn ozs so they can say they didn't raise the price.....or 1/2 gallon of orange juice is now 59 ozs or even 52 ozs! Again, so they can say they didn't raise the price but still sneakily decreasing the amount of product you get. have you noticed that in the past couple of years a 17oz bottle of water or soda is just 16.9 ozs, WTF? Imagine their savings after a few million bottles are sold. Sneaky bastards.

Yes I can walk out without buying anything!! Seriously?? Whose money is it?? If I don't like the prices or the quality I'm gone. 😕😕😕..

I used to work for Toys 'R' Us. There was a reason they kept the diapers, wipes and formula at the furthest back/corner of the store. Frazzled mom, dragging 2nd kid thru store while carring newborn all the way to back corner with the older child looking everywhere, and at EVERYTHING, then trying to make her way to the registers...then at the register...going thru the 'corral', I mean line. 2 words: impulse buy. Everything up there was dictated, infant toothbrushes, batteries, candy, bubbles. Nothing was placed there just to fill space. Every inch was bought and paid for by each manufacturer. Just like every inch of shelf space in the store. The poor mom who ONLY needed diapers usually walked out with 6-8 other things. Always remember, no matter what the store, buyer beware.

I've noticed at my grocery store that they will have ground beef labeled at 93% lean, but when you cook it it has loads of fat drippings. Makes me feel like they also colored the meat to make me think it was of higher quality. I don't buy my meat there anymore, I go to a local small town butcher.

Meat Manager for Kroger here, ABSOLUTE GARBAGE. When we package meat, there’s what’s called a “Tare Weight” which removes the weight of the tray, the film, the soak pads, and the label . There’s this little known group called “Weights and Measures” that checks to make sure customers are not being taken advantage of and these tare weights are accurate to the decimal point. Maybe this video better reflects independent grocers who are more desperate for profit, but in general you make more long term loyal customers, and hence more profit and stable sales, by NOT being “Snake oil salesmen” as this video claims.

The fruits and vegetables are near the front because if they can get you to buy some healthy food, you are more likely to let yourself buy junk further in. 😘

Thank You for this Update and God Bless.

If I owned a Restaurant, I would be HONEST! I know I am BLESSED when i live HONESTLY

Straight out of text book basic business courses since early 80's.

I want my taxes back from the USDA and FDA. They haven't earned it.

I can't say that the bait and switch weight thing exists at my Walmart. We have a state or county appointed weight and scales inspector who verifies the accuracy of the scales and makes sure that prepackaged/weighed meat is being sold as advertised.

I never have this problem must be because I’m super poor when you go to the store with six dollars to get food for three days try to buy something else

You left out coupons? You use to be able to use and store coupons for up to six months, now they expire in a month and they only allow to use one a day, Making it harder to match up to store sells 🤷🏻‍♀️

"Fish fraud is not just a fluke..." LoL 😂 The food & grocery industries are rampant with tricks and deception. But as we all become more informed we can use our shopping dollars to force change!

If you're expecting a particular type of fish and you're paying top dollar, why shouldn't you expect to receive what you ordered? So unethical of anyone to figure their customers are that clueless. It's illegal and any store that does this needs to be prosecuted.

Make a list, then stick to it, PERIOD.

NO NO NO, Do not be discouraged by a long line. Return anything and everything that is damaged or spoiled and complain to corporate in writing. Never go to the Cop, go straight to the Top!!

Fraudulent labeling and weighing is actually rare and I appreciate the way my grocery store displays their merchandise and orchestrates the experience of shopping in their store. Of course, I sometimes buy more things and/or different things than I planned but I’m more satisfied with what I get.

Having celiac disease the smell of bread and baked goods makes me sick. I also have several other food allergies so all the sampling efforts don’t affect me. I have a very limited selection of safe foods and stores don’t know how to entice people like me! Unfortunately specialty foods are so overpriced so they are getting my money regardless! And when you have celiac disease and food allergies you don’t really have a choice. There might be a similar option a couple dollars cheaper but if it contains an allergen I have to go for the more expensive option that is allergen free!

Remember: You don't have to pay for "Over Priced" #Food

Mom: We need some soap and soap only *2 seconds later* Me: Mom why do we have 10 shopping carts

Probably the best episode on this channel.

Eye level is buy level is not the grocery store. It is the vendors who pay for that shelf space.

Eye level space is usually sold to highest bidder. Meaning in a group of the same item, which ever manufacture wants to pays more gets the best space on the shelf.

You did very well making this.

I work at a grocery store and we don't do any of these things like adding water t or ice to meat. And also we don`t label or make the products so it`s not up to us to decide the weight etc of a container of ice cream!!!

that’s why I make a list... ALWAYS! If I buy more than I needed, it’s typically similar to what I was already getting, like more ingredients for the salad I’m already making.. my biggest problem is forgetting my bags in the car.

Can't speak to everywhere but in Florida it is illegal to charge for the wrong weight. The weight of the package is taken off as well. Inspectors randomly go out and check to make sure that the scales are accurate.

Consumers in Canada are being gouged by greedy grocers. Prices increase almost weekly. Size of product is reduced. Lots of rotten produce in basic food markets and prices are increased by half or tripled prior to the item going on sale. Time to do something about it !

I bought a large (of course) tray of fresh boneless, skinless chicken breasts at Sam's Club. After I removed the chicken , the water-logged "diaper" and tray weighed 18oz. I paid about $2.25 for that water. For a very brief period of time, Sam's sold milk and rotisserie chickens up front, but that didn't last very long.

check the price tickets in Australian supermarkets. They are forced to put a price per unit that enables easy comparison of similar products. This was put into place by the Federal govt after a big push by consumers

I tend to rummage to the back of the self as that’s the newest product. What supermarkets do is stock from the back, meaning the oldest product is at the front (prove me wrong).

There is a difference in the smell and taste of organic celery and basic commercial celery. The non organic celery smells real strong like an old fashion bar of lye soap.

Thank you for what you have shown us the same thing goes on here in the UK too

I assumed frozen n dairy was at the end to cut down on defrosting. I.e the last items on your way out.

The confusion with units is exacerbated in the US because of the imperial system. Here in Europe, with the metric system, there's just one unit for the volume of foods (the liter) and not several, like quarts, pints and fluid ounces. The same is true for weight as well.

This Is So Wrong What The Grocery Stores Do To Us.

Haha! Had a kroger fresh baked bakery ad during this video

Dairy and frozen are in the back because that's where the trucks come in. It's easier to push a large cart of milk to a dairy cooler in the back than to a centralized place up front. It's also safer. Truck to cooler.. No one getting stopped by customers asking questions. Everything done in the back and in a timely manner.

Exactly. Most of the things I buy must be 50 to 70%off. I live on ss. So I love to bake and eat Hardy. Those fancy eggs- they must be half or more off same as the yogurts. I usually do Kroger's especially a little mountain one where things are cheap. I also grow my own foods when possible. 17pumpkins this year and I traded three for some grass fed beef! I like trader Joe's and fresh market as well but limit my buying there

Here's way to defeat the 'eye level' product shelf trick. If you have normal vision, corrected or not, you might try standing several feet further back from the aisle you're scanning. This increases your field of view by two or more times, and actually speeds up shopping in addition to helping you spot lower priced items.

I guess I am the man they do not want to shop. I make a list. Go get the items. The only exceptions I make is IF another item is on sale, truly on sale, and IF I really need it. There is a HUGE difference between NEED and WANT. I get what I need and then leave the store. Later I think about what I want and if it is really necessary to my life, enjoyment, or fun. Also it is called sticking to a budget. I am not the U.S. Gov't and cannot deficit spend.

I did once at a grocery store find a package of meat that weighed Less than what was on the package as I took it and I weighted it on a scale

I know Target's baked goods are delivered via a freezer truck, then gets stocked in a freezer storage area and when needed comes to a temperature-controlled room to be thawed before it is put on the shelf.

Another way the stores trick the consumer is by having the scales in the produce section weigh something differently then the scales at the check out stand. Take a one pound bag if rice or beans and compare the results between the two scales.

FK the price, i packed pollo asado (spiced chicken) with meat off the floor shoveled into the tumbler (mixing machine) when We ran out of chicken They brought out boxes of green chicken from Arkansas, We're in LA... I asked My Supervisor where do We sell this SH*t, he replied Walmart, Superior a Todos. (Everywhere)... I later quit & stopped buying commercial meat.... It does'nt matter the quality of the store & staff, it's people have No Idea where the meat comes from or how it's processed

Otherwise use good sense when at the store. I'm one of those people who will look for a tall person to reach for what is on sale.

The whole weighing the meat packages with the meat happens everywhere because thats how it is done. The barcode on the tag isn't just for checkout. It is a code you type in onthe scale that has a predetermined negative weight. The tray, soaker pad, and wrap is weighed so it can be zeroed so only meat is being priced.

That’s why corporate greed is killing this country and I said that 45 years ago. And 80% of the people are living paycheck to paycheck.

I work at a grocery store and can confirm all of this is true.

They also put snacks and sugary cereals at the eye-level of children, so the children will be more likely to see them and beg their parents to buy them. Also, when there's an item the store is losing money on to draw in customers, like a rotisserie chicken, the rotisserie chickens will be placed at the BACK of the store, and they'll line the aisles so that you pass by a bunch of tempting, overpriced items on the way, like snacks or expensive produce.

I miss having the manufacturer's coupons from Sunday papers. By no one buys those anymore and and there's no way that I'm aware of to upload or fine manufacturer coupons and then put them on AA card membership card they only let you use the coupons they provide in app ..say if you preselect coupons to have them autoapply ehen you scan rewards card.

I have arthritis an have trouble walking through a store so I ride a handicap cart. I often have trouble seeing what I want but I also have a different eye level. I am targeted for things children want. Fortunately I am way past the age for sugary cereals and most of the time I don't look at them at all. When I buy candy it is one bar to be eaten right away. I figured the organic things were a good scam item and I cook the cuts of meat that are not in favor like chuck. I know how to find a whole brisket with the least amount of fat and have a good idea how much bone and fat different cuts of meat should have making converting prices to cost per serving easier. Oh yes, I am in my 80s and was taught a good part of this as a child.

Added water or ice to meat? Using different measurements to trick customers? Certifying your products are organic? Inaccurate product weight? Lying about ingredients or product type? If a store does that in the UK, if the label is lying or is giving misleading information or they sell something that isn’t as it’s described, then the store gets fined, then the supplier gets fined, then there are sanctions but on their business and they are kept under scrutiny until they can prove in good faith that it has stopped....and then the regulators will still spot check you in future. Asda (a large grocery/supermarket chain in the UK owned by Walmart) has tried a few of these tricks many years ago here.....then got themselves fined to hell and back. Other European markets are as strict as us.......but American consumers are literally swindled and no one does anything? That’s consumer protection right there! 🤨

The problem is people are a lot more informed these days and when I walk by the bakery I know it's all made from GMO crops/flour which makes us sick, full of preservatives and pesticides, forget the isles, I never go in them, unless I need organic raw honey, if they have it. I also know the meat is from animals fed GMO grain, kept in CAFO feed lots and it makes me gag. I do farmers markets most of the time, I hate stores especially chains. If there is a small mom and pop produce store in the area I live in, and they have integrity I will support their business. I love supporting the little businesses.

Cage free eggs is a scam, that is true, you need to look for the label "Humanely Raised"

In Europe they have to use net weight (without solutions) and everything is labelled in either /kg or /l (grams or millilitres in some cases, but they are essentially the same anyways). You people and your fairy measurements...

this also applies to everything else today too, If there's naivete in a product or a movement then there is money to be made on said naivete. here's a bonus eye opener lookup " a funny thing happened on the way to the moon" bart sibrel - enjoy

I would Like to know exactly how many cuts can be labeled Sirloin because some of that stuff is tuff as shoe leather , also T bone ribeye is mostly bone weight I believe and if the silver skin is not removed it sucks

this is why i dont buy into food claims like cage free and organic. Everything that is mass produced in America will find a way to undermine the customer

In the uk most of these would get the store shut down also I work of a retailer that can trace every bit of math fish or poultry inc tinned and ready meal stuff back to not just the farm to to the exact animal

I've never had issues with impulse buying. Those 20 bags of hot Cheetos were deliberate.

I know that a few of these apply to the UK too but shopping in the US seems like its highly against them.

You make me glad that I go to an Amish market for my fresh meat. They don't do any of these things.

If you are mistaking red snapper for tilapia you should just buy tilapia to begin with. You can always buy whole red snapper and have them butcher it right in front of you, or even better just eat whole fish.

I'm not too lazy, I will take it back if it ain't right.

New and improved ya right jack the price up tomatoes on the vine 2.99 a pound go across the street same tomatoes 1.19 a pound

The unit converters I found are for currency. Did I get the name wrong?

I have read many of the same concerns before. If you are aware of the possibility then you can go to the store prepared I have purchased paper good in bulk. Fish on ice not packaged Whole and have filet in front of you. Meat know thr cuts you frequently use. There will be things you can’t check and you will need to determine how much you need to know about the product.

Support better businesses run by your own community members. Use local butcher shops (and have them cut your meat in front of you, or open the packaged stuff--they can re-wrap it in plastic in seconds), seafood markets, farmer's markets, produce stands, and employee-owned grocers as much as you can. Use web tools like Local Harvest and others to find better food providers, including local farms and dairies that deliver fresh food to your door, or to local locations for pickup. They provide better food for your hard-earned money, and you can often purchase less food by weight, because their foodstuffs are not adulterated with scraps, water, and other adulterants.

Wow.

What? Bakers use a mix? Next you'll tell me the people who make the deli salads use a recipe!

I used to work at an egg farm as a packer. Let me tell you one thing those cage free eggs are NOT cage free. They jam five of those suckers in a tiny ass cage maybe 2x2 cage and the only difference is they put them in different cartons that say cage free.

PRO TIP: NEVER go to a grocery store on an empty stomach. Also never allow your eyes to wander in ANY store.

I've noticed the false meat weight scam 1st hand I got 4 lbs of chicken breasts for a recipe that calls for 2lbs of chicken, (got 4ibs so I could freeze half for later) I use a electronic portion scale to weigh out the meat I noticed the total meat weight was less than 4lbs but when I added the original packaging to the scale, on a hunch, It came out to the 4 lbs exactly. To avoid this scam in the future, I'm going to have the butcher weigh it out in front of me.

Iceland in Essex UK makes us walk through

The so called bakeries in these places are pretty much price and put out of frozen things that come in. They don't really bake anything. Their breads come in as frozen dough and are baked there, so are the muffins. The donuts come already cooked and are heated and decorated. I know these things cause I worked in one of these stores.

Interesting: decrying the healthy foods being up front and more processed foods in the back... Looks like the maker has been compromised...

At Smart & Final, they put motion sensors at the produce section to turn the water on as you walk up..

ARE THOSE CAKES MADE WITH REAL ICING OR DEXTROSE 🤔

So being a consumer is almost like war. Certain juices have high heavy metals which are also advertised towards kids. So rob,cheat,poison, mame and murder is fair if your a corporation

I’ve always suspected that grocery stores take expired meat and seafood, cover them in spices and stuff then put them on their display cases for all the suckers to consume.

Kroger down here every once in awhile will put steaks on sale. They will put two or three in a package. Every package will have one beautiful marbled steak in it. Beautiful for a supermarket. And the other one or two will be the Trashy ones that no one wants. I have actually asked them. If they can put these three in one package for me and they would not do it.

That's why I shop online. And get fresh produce at farmer's markets.

Maybe the people who are Sheep act that way in Grocery stores not me

I don't know what stores you know but the ones around here has the bakery is the last thing you go by to get to the registers.

Bake offs are nothing new for supermarket bakeries and most restaurants. Most ready to eat and restaurant food are assembled from pre made, not scratch.

I worked in the meat and fish department of a national food chain in Wisconsin. This never happened! Very regulated by the state.