Don’t think of a supermarket as just a simple shop; it’s a brilliantly crafted space designed to push your spending buttons to winkle as much cash out of you as possible.

It's vital that shoppers understand the tricks of the mass retailer trade to get more from your money and beat the masters of mind control at their own game.

So here’s how to counter (get it?) their moves:

• Sweets and magazines nearby the till

  These are impulse buys designed to have one last grab at our cash and are so tempting that not even a diabetic Saint can resist them. We suggest wearing blinkers through this Last Dash of Temptation or, at the very least, keep your eyes straight ahead.

• Shopping hungry

  Walk hungry into a supermarket awash with fresh baking smells and you’re a goner. You’ll buy more than you would normally and spend more on junk food. Eat a three course meal before you go in. And yes, have some wine with that — it will help you make better jokes with the cashier.

• Supermarket layouts make us walk, walk and…

  Items like bread and milk and other often bought stuff are placed further apart than South African Olympic medals. This is so we walk past a whole lot of other stuff that the Bad Food Devil on the left shoulder convinces you to buy. Make a list and stick to it.

• Eye level products are where their profits are

  The most profitable items in a supermarket are placed at eye level (or children’s eye level if it's targeted at them). But the profitable goods for the supermarkets are usually not the best deals for you. Look higher and lower to get a better deal. Bring a ladder if you have to.

• Sales are meant to sell

  Lovely looking fruit and other eye-pleasing products may be placed near the front of a store and may even be selling below cost to entice you with a genuine bargain.

  Bright colours and the words 'discount' and 'sale' make us feel good and we tell ourselves the more we shop, the more we’re saving. Huh? Beware, these reductions may only be a few cents and you’d have to buy four tons to make a real saving. Besides, the ‘sale’ may also be designed to get rid of stuff that no-one wants for a very good reason.

  Check out other stuff in the store before you succumb to the sale.

Don’t let them win!