The Supermarket Is a Decision Assault Course

Last Saturday I went to the supermarket at 5pm after a full day with the kids. Walked in with a list of 12 things. Walked out 50 minutes later having forgotten two of them and bought a load of stuff I didn't plan for.

On the drive home I felt annoyed at myself. Disorganised. Scattered. Then I remembered: I'm the CMO of a company that literally exists because of this exact problem.

I wasn't disorganised. I was decision-fatigued. And the supermarket had made it worse.

Designed to Drain You

This isn't a conspiracy. It's retail strategy. The average supermarket carries 30,000 to 50,000 products. Every aisle forces dozens of micro-comparisons.

Regular milk or oat milk? Which oat milk? Barista or original? Fridge or shelf? Large or small? Is the offer actually better value?

Each comparison burns cognitive capacity. By the time you reach the checkout, you've made hundreds of decisions. That's why impulse purchases spike at the till. Your fatigued brain defaults to the easiest option: just say yes.

And if you're a working parent, you're probably doing this between 5pm and 7pm. Walking into a decision assault course at the exact moment your brain is least equipped to handle it.

What I Changed

I've rebuilt my entire grocery system to remove as many decisions as possible.

• 90% online, 10% in-store. The weekly shop happens online. I have a saved basket with every recurring item: milk, bread, fruit, snacks, cleaning products. One click. No aisles. No comparisons. The only time I go to the physical shop is for a quick top-up of one or two fresh items. In and out with a short list.
• Meal plan drives the shopping list. We eat the same 15 dinners on rotation. I plan 5 per week on Sunday and the shopping list writes itself. The decision about what to cook tonight was made days ago. I just buy the ingredients.
• Smart fridge, automated basics. When we run out of something, it goes straight on the list via the fridge screen. No trying to remember on the day. No mental inventory checks. The system remembers so my brain doesn't have to.
• AI for product decisions. When I need to compare brands or check ingredient lists, I use AI to review the options against our family's values, health requirements, and price range. Instead of standing in an aisle reading the back of six boxes, I make the decision once, at home, with a clear head.
• Never shop hungry or tired. If I do need to go in person, I eat first. Hunger and fatigue both amplify decision fatigue because your brain is already in resource-conservation mode.

It's Never About the Groceries

Every time you remove, reduce, or reschedule a cluster of decisions, you're protecting your brain for the ones that actually matter. Your career. Your relationships. Your health. Your kids.

Don't waste your best thinking on oat milk.