While just about anything you’d buy at the supermarket can now be delivered to your house in a reasonable amount of time, there are still some purchases that you must — or at least tend to — make in person: Prescriptions, fresh produce, pet food, among others. Of course, even though you only meant to pick up one or two things, odds are you’re going to add a few items you either remember to buy or are tempted into purchasing once you’re in the store. [More]
impulse buys
Aldi Getting Rid Of Candy In Checkout Lines
By 1.13.16
Most of us have been there: You push a cart full of healthy food up to the supermarket checkout line only to cave to sugary temptation when running that final gauntlet lined with chocolate, candy, and other snacks. But that may soon be a thing of the past for Aldi shoppers. [More]
Hershey Wants To Make Impulse Candy Purchases Part Of Self-Checkout
By 1.28.15
Technology is changing how we buy groceries: self-checkout, curbside pickup, and delivery are all models that aim to make shopping more convenient and efficient. Walmart is even experimenting with a store that does nothing but curbside pickup for online orders. Yet when customers aren’t waiting in a checkout line, they don’t pick up impulse items. If that seems like a good thing to you, well, you aren’t a candy company. [More]
Amazon Expands Same-Day Delivery To 6 Markets, Including NYC, Dallas, D.C.
By 8.6.14
After trying out same-day delivery in a handful of markets primarily on the West Coast, Amazon has announced its first large-scale expansion of “Get It Today” purchasing. Customers along the I-95 corridor from D.C. to Boston — along with people in Indianapolis and Dallas — have the option of getting some items the same day they are ordered. [More]
Whatever This CVS Has Planned Tonight, Count Us Out
By 4.24.12
It makes sense for a store to place small impulse-buy items on the shelf next to related merchandise. Say, cereal and bananas. Beer and Ping-Pong balls. Cold medicine and tissues. Tampons and chocolate. Those choices all make sense, but this impulse buy found at a New England CVS left us, and tipster Jena, scratching our heads. [More]
Self Check-Out At Supermarket Means Fewer Impulse Buys
By 6.3.09
Consumer Reports says that the supermarket self check-out line is better on your wallet and your gut. “You’ll find fewer snacks,” they write, “and because of the shorter wait time, you’ll have less time to contemplate a snack attack.” There’s even a study that shows impulse purchases dropped by nearly a third for women and a sixth for men when they chose the self check-out line. You also get to play with the scanner, touchscreen, and bag area, which is a lot more fun than just standing around. (That’s right, “bag area.”)
