Did you know our favorite store might be putting the higher-priced items at eye level so we'll lock a gaze with it and buy it?

The cheaper stuff is usually a step or two above or below. What else do stores do to get us to buy, that we might not notice?

The big red SALE sign out front is a pretty obvious draw into the store. Sale signs are everywhere and we might be a little desensitized to them, but seeing a sale sign in the window sure is a bigger draw than one that says "everything here is full price, but come in anyway."

Business Insider says stores will decorate the front window in bold colors like red and orange, but once we're inside they'll switch to greens and blues to calm us down.

If we're relaxed, we'll spend more money, kinda like drunk shopping in a way. We've got no stress, and our inhibitions are out the window! Thank you wine. And green and blue.

Store will also play the "limited time offer" card, as I'm sure you've noticed. They've been doing that every day since Black Friday, and they haven't run out of "limited time" offers just yet!  When one sale ends, a new one appears. But putting a time limit on a deal pushes us to act fast and makes us think it's the last time we'll ever get $10 off a $50 purchase.

And they entice us with samples! Giving us a bite to try makes us buy those protein bars more often that note. I've found some of my favorite new snacks that way, and I wouldn't have tried them if the store hadn't been offering free samples.

It works.

Stores also go over the top with the holiday decorations to create an atmosphere that makes us more likely to get warm and fuzzy about the season, and think we need to spend more.

We also get loose with the cash at the registers, where all the impulse buys are sitting. Must. Have. Fingernail file. And travel-sized Kleenex.

Are the stores really tricking us, or just making it easier to do what we love? Shop! It's the holiday season after all, and it's fun.

But now we have the heads up in case we want to fight the urge to spend. Or explain to our spouses why the credit card bill is so high.

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