13 tricks stores use to get you to spend more during the holiday season

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christmas shopping

AP Photo/Lai Seng Sin

From warm scents to tempting impulse buys lining the checkout line, stores have plenty of tricks to get you to spend more.

It's laughably easy to overspend during the holidays - from catering feasts and baking treats to stocking stuffers and Yankee swaps, the expenses seem to never end.

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What's more, most stores are carefully engineered to get you to overspend. Particularly during the last month of the year, they'll tug on your emotions with holiday cheer and load the checkout aisle with tempting holiday delights that are nearly impossible to turn down.

If you want to curb your spending this holiday, start by recognizing these subtle yet common store tricks.

Kathleen Elkins contributed to a previous version of this article.