We've all probably been in the predicament of going to the supermarket for one or two items and coming back with half of the shop through lucrative deals and offers that are too good to refuse.
And while some blatant tricks that supermarkets use to get you to spend more are easy to spot and ignore when paying attention, there are a number of other stealthy secrets they have in their arsenal.
From the fake smells at the bakery section, to the arrangements that some items on shelves find themselves in - there's plenty going on behind the scenes to encourage you to spend an extra couple of quid.
The Mirror reports that Dr Cathrine Jansson-Boyd from Anglia Ruskin University has been sharing these little-known psychological tricks and her latest tip is all to do with baskets and trolleys and how they are often strategically placed around the shops, but no-one notices.
"People used to find that if they put too much in a basket that you hold they got too heavy and that was a sign they should stop shopping, as they couldn't carry it," she said speaking with the publication.
"That's why you often see the baskets on wheels these days."
However, what many people don't realise is that these wheelie baskets are actually much bigger than the old handheld ones. She explained: "They can almost hold the same amount as a small trolley, but because it's a basket, you have the perception that you're buying less.
"So when you're trying to save money, using one of these baskets is not necessarily a good thing to do, because you do tend to fill them up."
But according to the expert, supermarkets may also use basket placement tricks by the entrance of the shop to encourage you to use a bigger basket or trolley, over a smaller one. She added: "You often find that the smaller shopping trolleys are placed on the opposite side to the shop entrance and the bigger trolleys are on the entrance side.
"If you want the smaller one you have to walk all the way round to get it, so it's usually just easier to grab the bigger one when you walk through as it's near the door."
Dr Jansson-Boyd adds that they also do something similar with baskets, as supermarkets will stack the smaller baskets at the end of the tills and place the bigger baskets near the doorway.
"It looks like people have dropped the baskets by the tills while shopping, but often that's not the case, they put them there because it means it will be easy to grab the bigger basket on wheels as you come in than go all the way up to the tills to get the smaller one."
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