Checkout lines are notorious for being some of the best anglers in the world. Who else can have 90% accuracy when it comes to putting out a baited hook and actually getting the catch in the boat? There are so many different items that are placed within the, already tight, confines of a checkout line. There is a good chance at least one of them will catch your eye. It may be the sugary candy, the collector cards or even the small little shiny trinket and let’s not even bring small children into the picture because the odds are instantly increased.
With everyone feeling the difficulties imposed by the recession, stores are counting more and more on the little extra impulse buys. Have you noticed that the checkout lanes are more organized and enticing than ever before? That’s because these last minute items are extremely important to their business. It is the magazine that you need to grab because you don’t have an updated copy, the gum your significant other really needs or that favorite candy bar, just waiting to be torn into like a vicious savage.
Currently, impulse shopping is down as the monetary pressures are being felt in all income brackets. That being said, retailers are getting savvy to how consumers are beginning to shop and are changing up the impulsive items. Where customer once would splurge on a seven-dollar bag of beef jerky, the stores are now replacing the dried meat with more health conscious alternatives like seven-dollar bags of dried fruit. The consumer is justifying the purchase by the “at least it is good for me” standard, not even aware he or she just spent the same amount of money.
