The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Page MONEY TALK Wednesday February 13 1991 Some hints for the costconscious shopper Convenience special prices nutrition bulk buying waste unit pricing perishable dates shoppers are asked to weigh the value of thousands of products on a dozen different scales every time they go to the grocery store How do most of us decide which items well buy If its attractive and suits our self image well often buy It on impulse says Marilyn sky of Ontarios Ministry of Con Burner and Commercial Rela tions Experts say that traditionally seven out of ten grocery store decisions are spurof the moment The key to big sales is giving a lot of people the feeling the product is especially good Being aware of this makes con sumers smarter shoppers But to the discerning buyer of the 1990s looking especially good means more than having the fanciest package A store may sell loads of its plain packaged laundry detergent if its priced a few cents lower than the favorite national brand But at the same time sales of phosphatefree soap may knock sales of competitors out of the water if the public is environmentconscious It s difficult to carefully weigh the consequences of every pur chase But Gurevsky says keep ing a few basic rules in mind can help make sure the larders full while giving you leeway to splurge on this weeks spinach souffle special 1 Always carry a grocery list not in your coat pocket but in your hand and stick to it Stores stock the most commonly needed Items such as milk meat and margarine along the outside walls To reach basic items youll have to walk past lots of aisles of goodies that may tempt you to overspend 2 Plan a weekly menu and develop your shopping list from that Dont leave the menu until the night before your shopping trip add to it over the week us ing inspiration and advertised specials as your guide 3 Wait to shop until you need at least 15 items The fewer trips you make the lesser the tempta tion to buy on impulse Never shop on an empty stomach If youre the displays may make you want three varieties of chips plus dips spreads and some pop to wash them down with before you reach Aisle 2 5 When shopping for necessities try to go alone if possible Kids are of course the most notorious cook lecul ling culprits But couples taking a leisurely stroll down lambchop lane are also likely to make more impulse buys than either in dividual would purchase alone If you enjoy taking the odd trip to the grocery store together allow enough time to be able to com pare products and search out new brands Plan a route through the grocery store when you enter If you only need a few items visiting one or two aisles may suf Don t look at the aisleend specials until you ve picked up all the items you came for Many stores carefully place commonly used items at the end of the rows but the prices may not be bargains Also when locking or a can of peas or any other items in the centre aisles remember to check Computation On Location What Means To You Your or records will not be removed from your rem lies or financial Immediately Our professional industrial accountant at your premises to review any questions or problem What It Can Do For You Payroll Preparation Sale Accounts rece vable Bookkeeping Sorbite or Full Accounting Management Conciliation the next having fullurr Controller and or n house computer in Cotnputar Data MAIN S GEORGETOWN 8776565 II REGAN UNIT BRAMPTON MondayFriday HOURS both the top and bottom shelves before you make your choice Merchandise stocked on the eye- level shelf is what the grocer wants you to buy and may be there for a number of reasons The store could be promoting their own or a new label or they may be trying to get rid of an ex pensive line that has been overstocked Whatever the reason the most popular brands or the lowest prices are rarely found on the middle shelf To receive the titles of ministry booklets on a variety of consumer issues ask for a copy of the listing brochure Shop Smart It Pays by writing to the Consumer Information Centre Yonge St 1st Floor Toronto Ontario et What You Have Coming To You This year let our experienced chartered accountants show you how to get the most out of what you make As professionals were pulling for you and were committed to helping you to develop new and better ways to sustain and improve your financial situation We strive to provide a more efficient source of assistance for your financial needs by offering services to help you manage your business and personal finances STARRET STARRET CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS Main St S Georgetown Toronto Line