Checking the pantry and supplies before your next visit to Walmart, Costco, or some other retail chain will eliminate the exploitation that comes with making emergency purchases from the convenience store on the corner.
The Electronic Payments Coalition has suggested that items sold at most convenience stores are overpriced. The ‘convenience’ these stores afford comes at a price.
Items to avoid purchasing at a convenience store
The major reason we discourage frequent shopping at convenience stores is the pricing of items, which is sometimes over 100% of the actual retail price. There’s also the issue of quality.
However, if you have to buy anything from them, please avoid nonalcoholic beverages, perishable foods, groceries, care products, general accessories, baked foods, and impulse purchases. Permit us to explain why.
Slushies and Fountain Drinks
Convenience store operators profit greatly from nonalcoholic drinks. However, they tend to favor slushies and fountain drinks, as they feel homemade and sell faster.
However, yes, there’s a ‘however.’ It is difficult to bank on the cleanliness of the preparation process. A study conducted in California found that 40% of sampled soda fountain drinks contain potentially harmful contaminants.
Perishable Hot and Cold Foods
In recent years, people have gotten used to purchasing perishable food items, hot or cold, from convenience stores. Examples of such food are egg and sausage biscuits, premade turkey sandwiches, etcetera.
Unfortunately, not all convenience store staff received the appropriate food handling training to make them aware that these items need to be stored at strictly monitored temperatures. Imagine a product that had been left out on the shelf over the night finding its way back into cold storage because the employee doesn’t understand the implications.
Groceries
There’s a reason people don’t do their major grocery shopping at convenience stores: choice. Due to the small space in their facilities, these stores can stock only a meager variety of similar products.
Besides, customers often pay way more than the bargain prices they will likely get at retail chains. In addition, buying large volumes at a convenience store is of little consequence because they don’t offer discounts.
Health and Beauty Products
When you want to go on that short-notice camping trip but realize the need to buy aspirin or sunscreen at the last minute, it is very likely that those items will jump out at you from the shelf of a convenience store, but there’s a caveat.
Items often spend more time on convenience stores’ shelves than on large retail chains’ shelves. So, even if it’s not expired, you may have to toss it soon after. Remember, that is an item you bought at a markup of about 132%.
General Accessories
When on a road trip, the dazzling afternoon sun may knock the driver to the reality that they forgot their sunglasses in the bedside drawer.
Car chargers and hands-free holders are some other items road travelers may get tempted to purchase at the gas station on the largely deserted highway. Well, if you do buy those items, they may not be of the required quality.
Baked Goods
Most stores have mastered the craft of keeping their baked goods, such as muffins, cakes, breads, etc., looking fresh for a long time. So, it may be difficult to tell from the package how long the product has spent on the shelf.
The only consolation from retail chains is that they have high-traffic patronage, and their essential baked products, like bread, seldom stay long in the shopping aisle. While some retail chains have an in-house bakery, baked goods are often delivered to convenience stores by third parties.
Impulse Purchases
Almost everyone has had the experience of darting into a convenience store for a bottle of water, only to leave with four other unplanned items. This is because retailers often adopt proven product placement and display strategies that make customers buy what they don’t necessarily need.
So, if you have to make an urgent purchase at a convenience store, keep your eyes on the price tag, keep purchase volumes to a minimum, and avoid impulsive buying.
Sidestep Expired Products in Convenience Stores
Many shoppers are ignorant of the methods of product arrangement on store shelves. To minimize expiration losses, grocery stores often arrange older items on the front shelf and fresher ones at the back.
So, check the item’s expiration date next time you go shopping. If the date is close to expiration, reach the back of the shelf, and you’ll likely get fresher ones.
ALSO READ: Aldi and Its In-House Store Brands
What Sells the Most in a Convenience Store
Hate it or like it, convenience stores have become integral parts of our lives, and their name is befitting, as they allow people to purchase items at short notice without having to drive long distances.
Some of the most common items people buy from convenience stores are snacks, beverages, convenience food, health and personal care products, and dairy or frozen foods.
Why You Should Avoid Purchasing Certain Items at a Convenience Store
Most people jettison the cheaper prices that retail chains can afford because they claim checkout lines at such malls make it challenging to get what you need quickly. However, that is no longer an excuse with the emergence of new technology.
With self-checkout technology, shoppers can breeze in and out of retail chain outlets at very short notice. Likewise, shoppers can equally patronize a dollar store or discount store instead of convenience stores.
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