The endcaps, those displays at the end of each grocery store aisle, are the most valuable real estate in the entire store. Brands pay a premium to have their products featured in these high-traffic locations, and retailers use them to drive impulse purchases. While they are often designed to look like a special sale, endcaps are frequently filled with high-margin, overpriced items that are not a good deal at all. By learning to spot these ten types of overpriced endcap displays, you can avoid falling for the store’s oldest trick.
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1. The “New Item” Endcap
When a company launches a new product, it will often pay a huge fee to have it featured on an endcap. This display is designed to grab your attention and encourage you to try something new. However, these new items are almost never on sale; you are paying the full, introductory price. The prominent placement is a form of paid advertising, not a genuine discount.
2. The “Seasonal” Endcap
In the fall, you will see an endcap overflowing with pumpkin spice everything. Before the summer, it will be filled with barbecue sauce and grilling accessories. These seasonal displays are great at getting you into the spirit of the season, but they are also packed with overpriced, novelty items. You are paying a premium for the theme and the convenience of having it all in one place.
3. The Soda and Chip Brand Endcap
Major brands like Coca-Cola and Frito-Lay will often sponsor an entire endcap, creating a massive, floor-to-ceiling display of their products. While visually impressive, these displays rarely offer the best price. The best deal on soda or chips is almost always found in the store’s weekly ad, not on the vendor-sponsored endcap that is designed to promote the brand, not to save you money.
4. The Cross-Merchandising Endcap
This type of endcap is designed to sell you a whole meal or experience. It might feature hot dog buns, ketchup, and mustard altogether, or place expensive crackers and jams right next to the fancy cheese section. This is a powerful trick that encourages you to buy multiple, high-profit items at once, even if you only came for one of them.
5. The “Health Fad” Endcap
When a new health trend, such as the keto or paleo diet, becomes popular, stores will create a special endcap filled with compliant snacks and products. These items are almost always niche, specialty products with a very high price tag. The store is capitalizing on the trend to sell you overpriced protein bars and grain-free granola that you would likely overlook in a regular aisle.
6. The “As Seen on TV” Endcap
The “As Seen on TV” endcap is a classic home for gimmicky, low-quality gadgets that promise to solve a common household problem. These items are the definition of an impulse buy. They are rarely a good value and are often made with cheap materials that do not last. This makes them a poor investment despite their prominent placement.
7. The Holiday Candy Endcap
Before Valentine’s Day or Easter, the endcaps are filled with brightly colored, seasonal candy. While festive, you are paying a huge premium for the special packaging and holiday-themed shapes. The same candy in its regular packaging is often much cheaper in the main candy aisle.
8. The Magazine and Gift Card Endcap
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The endcap right before the checkout lanes is often a miscellaneous collection of magazines, gift cards, and small toys. This is the store’s last chance to get you to add a high-margin item to your cart. These are pure impulse buys, and none of them is a good deal.
9. The “Organic” or “Natural” Endcap
Similar to the health fad endcap, stores will often create a special display of their premium organic or “all-natural” products. While these items may be high-quality, they are also high-priced. The endcap is designed to make you feel good about your healthy choices, which can make you less sensitive to the premium price you are paying.
10. The Store-Brand Endcap
Retailers will sometimes use an endcap to heavily promote a new item from their own private label. While store brands are often a good value, the items featured on the endcap are typically their new, more expensive “premium” tier products. They are hoping the prominent display will convince you to trade up to a more profitable version of their house brand.
Seeing Past the Display
An endcap is not a curated collection of the best deals in the store; it is a paid advertisement. These displays are designed to appeal to your impulses and to get you to buy high-profit items that you did not have on your list. The best way to save money is to treat the endcaps with suspicion. Always compare the price of an item to the other options in its regular aisle.
Which type of endcap display is the most tempting for you? What is the most overpriced item you have ever seen on an endcap? Share your experience!
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