The Biggest Mistakes Women Make When Grocery Shopping

Experts who lay out grocery stores know that a long aisle with no escape route can be off-putting (Davidson says a lot of people will look down it and think, "I don't need anything there,"—even though they very well might). So designers are starting to put cross aisles in (they're like cross streets, running perpendicular to main aisles), since their research shows there's a greater likelihood a shopper will be drawn to them, thinking there's an easy way out if she doesn't find what she's looking for. That isn't to say short aisles have expensive items and long aisles have cheaper ones—but it is a reminder that we can easily get seduced into making an impulse buy in a short aisle, so remember to stick to the script. Get what's on your list, and don't pay attention to an aisle's length.

Next: 8 pricey foods to stop buying (and what to buy instead)