Like once I’m done paying for my stuff on my way out I can see something I would buy and go back in to pay for it? Sounds stupid. What I’m I missing about this marketing strategy?
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Typically its for heavy stuff that noone in their right mind is gonna try and shoplift. Like… you’re never going to try and shove a 10kg bag of water softener salt down your pants like you would a Twix, ya know?
Most of that stuff the cashiers have little barcode cards and you just say “oh and add two bags of rock salt” and you sling it on your cart on the way out the door. Saves you from having to push 20kg of salt around the whole damn store.
And the 10kg bad is like $7 anyways. If some idiot does scarper with a bag they’re like “whose dumb enough to steal water softener salt?” laugh, shake their heads and add $7 to the LOSS list for the month. Guarantee they lose 10x more than that from people shoving steaks down their pants.
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So that you’ll remember to grab some next visit, the last thing you see at a location is often what “sticks”. Subliminal product placement more than expecting you to buy it “right now”.
Primes you to return again which allows more chances for impulse buys. Triggers that “forgot something” system.
If it can be seen on the way out, it can probably be seen on the way in, too. The store I shop at is famous for great BOGO deals, and they have bins of the buy-one-get-one-free items near the entrance, but the same stuff is also on the regular shelves. If the variety of the peanut butter soup or pasta or whatever of the BOGO brand isn’t in the bin, chances are there are still items on the shelf.
Also, if you’re at the register and see something you need, you can ask the cashier for it. They’ll get it or send a bagger.
They often stock extra and large items in the unused space.
I wanted to add that when I visited Tokyo stores would just leave their merchandise outside after they closed. I guess shoplifting wasn’t an issue (it wasn’t particularly valuable stuff, but here in the US people will steal anything that isn’t bolted down)
When I worked in retail, this was a specific promotional unit called FoSDU (Front of Store Display Unit) and is designed to tempt you to buy heavier things that you might not need (such as washing powder on offer to “stock up”).
In other words, it’s to try and make you go back around the shop after you’ve paid, so you’ll spend more money.
It also helps stores get surplus goods out of the backroom. Stores get stuck with extra goods a lot. Why store goods in a much needed space when in can be set up somewhere that isn’t using the space.
It’s for heavy basics like ice, cases of water, firewood, etc. They’re inexpensive in case they are stolen and hard to steal anyway. People know they need to buy them and tell the cashier, who will either have a code or something to scan behind their register. “I’ll have 2 bags of ice please.” The cashier rings it up, and then either a courtesy clerk fetches it for them or the customer grabs it on the way out.
Since they’re usually heavy, they want the customer to have the option of asking the cashier or courtesy clerk to grab them, rather than expecting elderly customers or whatever to break their backs trying to pick them up in the aisles. And do you want people picking up bags of ice then having them meander through the store for an hour? It would melt, leaving a hazard and causing them to freak out and demand another bag.
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