The checkout lane is prime retail real estate designed to exploit impulse windows, decision fatigue, and small-ticket rationalization. You’re standing still, bored, depleted from a store full of choices—exactly when a candy bar seems trivial.
This companion explores why checkout placement works, audit questions about what enters your cart there, counter-strategies like choosing candy-free lanes or committing before you arrive, and the larger pattern of food appearing in moments designed to maximize consumption. (4 min read)