Impulse buying also takes many subtle forms, and you may not be
aware that you're being
assaulted. For example: Most grocery stores put
milk and other
dairy products in the back of the store, because they are either not good for profit, or are a
detriment thereto.
In other words, some stores actually lose money for each
gallon of milk they sell (though it isn't much money, of course). Dairy simply is not
profitable for many stores, so they counter the
limited potential of it by forcing you through all the rest of the store to get to it. You are then more likely to
grab something as you're passing by. Oftentimes, impulse buying is not so
subtle. A good example of
blatant efforts to
coerce you into buying something is the
candy rack at the
checkstand.
There's a reason it's always there. Sometimes
you want candy; but more often the plot is deeper than that: They want your
kids to notice the candy
gleaming in front of them, hoping you will buy some for them. In many cases, children will become quite
obnoxious if refused this
tasty morsel in a plastic
wrapping.
Impulse buying is something I'm not very good at, though, because
my boss is too cheap to give me a pay raise so I can't afford anything.