Four Tricky Ways Stores Get You To Spend More Money

The big shopping day is here.  Yup, it's Black Friday.   Perhaps you go out with your list and end up coming home with stuff you weren't expecting to buy.  What happened?   Consumer Reports says we spend 40 billion dollars on gifts each year that end up getting returned to the store.  Stores want you to spend, spend, spend and they do things to encourage that.

According to Glamour magazine, these are four sneaky things stores do to get you to spend more money.

1.  Bright Lighting.  They want the lights bright so you lose track of time, especially if you're shopping at night.

2.  Tricky price tags.  Look out for price tags without dollar signs.  Also prices that end in 9,99 or 95 and are known as "charm prices."  They're a classic trick to make an item seem less expensive.  "Limit one per customer" is another trick that encourages you to buy something you might not otherwise.

3.  Anything that is hands-on.  Martin Lindstrom, author of "Buyology: Truth and Lies About Why We Buy" says you're 22% more likely to buy something if you've actually touched it.  So consider yourself warned if the salesperson puts an item in your hand.

4.  Your favorite music.  Did you know that the right sound can make you spend as much as 29% more?  So enjoy the music in the store, sing along if you want, but stick to your list.  Happy shopping!