Would A Mirrored Grocery Cart Make A Difference?

SOUTHFIELD (WWJ) - "Does this grocery cart make me look fat?"

With so many people becoming lost in the grocery store, mindlessly picking up one item after another, a group of researchers  believes putting a mirror on the grocery cart will change shoppers' buying habits for the better.

Collin Payne, an associate professor at university of New Mexico, says he believes the mirrored cart will eventually lead to healthier choices.

"If you're pushing the cart, it's located on the front in the side of the cart, and it's tilted towards the shoppers so they can see their face in the mirror," Payne told WWJ Newsradio 950's Marie Osborne.

Payne points to his other research where shoppers were given divided carts and were asked to put fruits and vegetables on one side and everything else on the other.

"Just giving people a simple rule of thumb to know how much fresh fruit and vegetables to purchase, or give them an idea of what's normal or appropriate," said Payne. "We've been able to show some promising increases in fresh fruit and vegetable purchases."

Payne said the  mirrored grocery cart prototype has been built. Consumer testing will begin in the coming weeks.