Shopping Tips From a Retail Specialist and Behavioral Researcher

Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.

Fox Business profiles Paco Underhill, author of Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping, who spent years trailing hundreds of thousands of shoppers to learn about consumer behavior and how stores are set up to subconsciously lure shoppers into buying things they ordinarily wouldn't want.

Some of Underhill's tips for shoppers include: be wary of BOGO deals, head straight to the clearance rack first, don't look at the small stuff around registers, and be careful when shopping with friends. Our favorite? Don't turn right when entering a store. Why?

"Retail shopping studies have found that most people turn right when they enter a store. That's because the majority of the population is right-handed and right-oriented," says Underhill.

Knowing this, stores highlight tempting new items and trends to the right of the entrance. You'll find that the music is louder and the displays are brighter to attract you where you will look and turn first. This is also where the most expensive items in the store are generally displayed.