JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – You walk into the store for one thing and somehow walk out with a cart full.
If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Experts say about 60% of what we buy isn’t planned—and there’s a reason why.
Welcome to your brain on bargains.
Why deals are so hard to resist
From limited-time offers to deep discounts, grocery stores are carefully designed to create urgency.
And when you feel rushed, your decision-making can drop by as much as 30%.
“I see a good price, a good deal, I gotta get it,” one shopper said.
But that pull toward a “good deal” isn’t accidental—it’s psychological.
That feeling of scoring a bargain? That’s dopamine—the brain’s feel-good chemical tied to anticipation and reward.
The more deals you see, the more your brain wants to chase that feeling.
And even the way prices are displayed can influence you.
Think about it: $7.99 vs. $8.00.
Your brain tends to focus on that first number—seven instead of eight—even though the difference is just a penny.
And those prices ending in .99?
They’re designed to feel like a bargain, shifting your focus to what you think you’re saving… instead of what you’re actually spending.
The BOGO trap
Then there’s the classic: buy one, get one free.
But here’s the catch—if you didn’t need two items, you didn’t save money. You spent more.
And shoppers are starting to notice.
“I wonder if I find myself spending more money, and I wonder if I shop based on the BOGOs every week,” one shopper told News4JAX.
Another agreed that BOGOs are a big shopping draw.
“I feel like it works… it gets you in the door every week… and I do spend more than I normally would—but I do love a deal," they said.