Shopping Science Fair Projects

You may think shopping and science have little to do with each other, but there is actually quite a lot of science behind store lay-outs, product packaging, advertising, etc.

• Do people exhibit a preference for which direction they go upon entering a store? Do men and women behave similarly? Does it matter whether you are right or left-handed? Does your country of origin (e.g., which side of the road you drive on) appear to come into play?

• Do people buy products that are on "sale" for the same price (or higher) as they are normally sold or do they notice the price isn't discounted?

• Do shoppers exhibit a preference for one check-out lane over another?

• Does cart size affect the number of products a shopper buys?

• How uniform is the age distribution of shoppers at a store throughout the day? throughout the week?

• Are there an equal number of men and women shopping? Does the type of store make a difference?

• Can you make any generalizations about the type of projects found at eye level in a store?

10 Ways to Impress a Science Fair Judge | What Is a Science Fair?