Impulse theory…
August 23, 2007 by Tracy
Have you ever wondered how supermarkets decide what products should be displayed around the checkout counters to entice us into that one last impluse purchase?
There’s the staples: gum, hard candy, chips, gossip magazines. Those seem pretty straight forward to me. But the other day as I was standing in line, I took a closer look at some of the other items on display.
My observations; dog chew toys, pencils, beef jerky, tampons.
Very strange combinations of things - and I thought to myself, “why these things?”.
- Did someone do a survey?
- Did they find out that when standing in line, people are more likely to buy these things?
- Is there a science to the impulse purchase?
It’s bizzare…but oddly enough, my dogs needed a squeaky ball, my seven year old is constantly in need of a pencil, I love cured meat, and it was that time of the month. c’est la vie.
Hiya!
I think they must know that there are some things you always need and always forget to buy. So they strategically place them so that you find yourself making these impulse purchases that in hindsight you would not have made at that time. I think it’s clever and effective but hard on those of us who are on a budget!