Cash or Credit? Better Grocery Choices

Want to eat a more nutritious diet? One simple trick in the checkout line may help you load your cart with better choices. The type of payment that shoppers use might be related to the kinds of items they toss into their cart.

Researchers analyzed how 1,000 households shopped for six months. When shoppers paid with credit or debit cards instead of cash, more of their shopping cart was filled with foods that were unhealthy impulse purchases. As they point out, foods that are unhealthy tend to be the items that people buy impulsively. They may toss candy, cookies, and other snacks into the cart before giving the purchase even a flicker of thought.

On the other hand, paying with cash is more “psychologically painful” than putting the item on a plastic card, according to the researchers. Handing over cash may dampen the impulse to buy unhealthy treats. As a result, giving a second thought to that age-old supermarket question – “cash or credit?” – might help change people’s shopping behaviors — and their waistlines.