Petrol and confectionery

"One in three motorists buy confectionery and snacks when stopping to fill." Kirsty Dollisson - Inside Retail Australia

I have bought petrol many, many times, but for some reason I have never quite registered how much the payment counter is just chock-a-block with confectionery. Today though, it really hit home for some reason. There was just so much of it. And no, I didn't buy any.

The picture at left is of a Coles Express store counter, but I'm sure it's true of all of them. They are mostly fairly confined spaces, through which you queue, and in addition to the lollies in front of the cash register and to the side of the cash register, there are also often shelves to the left and right that you have to pass full of more lollies. This was certainly the case today - and then behind the counter are the other evil things - cigarettes. In some of them, as you pay, you are always asked if you would like the confectionery that is on a special on that particular day. These are not considered buys - you haven't said to yourself that you will go to the petrol station to buy lollies - you have usually gone to buy petrol - maybe a newspaper - and yet, according to the statistics, one in three of us will buy some sweet temptation. And I do confess that when I was working I would sometimes buy a Mars bar. Mars bars were my weakness. When feeling stressed out and depressed - around once a month at work - I would consume a whole Mars bar with my morning or afternoon coffee. Sweet things always need coffee don't you think? Did it make me feel better? Maybe, if I could dismiss the feeling of guilt that went with it. There is some scientific basis for chocolate being good for depression I believe.

"One of the most common sites for impulse shopping is petrol stations." Kirsty Dollisson

I do not usually venture into the rest of the store, although there are plenty of other temptations there - soft drinks and biscuits in particular - as well as the things that we used to buy in the local milk bar - the basics we suddenly found we were without - milk, eggs, butter .... Others, however, will indeed head for the soft drinks - and that includes coffees, smoothies, slushies, etc.

This is particularly true for those big service centres on motorways, autoroutes, etc. These will include some sort of place to eat - from a proper restaurant to a self-serve snack bar, and alongside, all around, everywhere you turn in fact, there will always be shelves and shelves of goodies - including tourist souvenirs and especially snack food. Almost exclusively you cannot get out without going through the shop - even if you only wanted a toilet break. (Same with art galleries and museums, though these tend to be higher quality, more specific - and more expensive.) And almost inevitably you buy something. It might be hot and you suddenly feel an overwhelming desire for a cool drink or an ice-cream, or even though you may have had lunch a short time ago, something tempting catches your eye.

"The majority of impulse purchases are confectionery, gum, mints, and soft drinks, which are usually displayed near the tail end of the shopping journey to trigger the desire to purchase." Kirsty Dollisson

It's the same in supermarkets of course - add magazines to the mix here and things for the kids. Although I think it is interesting that now that we mostly self-check ourselves out there are somewhat more limited opportunities for them to place something tempting in front of you. Mostly it's just chewing gum. And yes the magazines are in a row outside the self-check area but you tend to move along that queue rather more quickly than when going through a checkout.

So why do we do it? Aren't we sensible, rational creatures? Apparently not. We all have an "irrational side of the brain that satisfies some kind of emotional response or moment of self gratification." And also we like "buying something because the immediate desire outweighs your judgement of whether this item is necessary." There's probably something that even the most disciplined and rational amongst us can be tempted into buying.

What's your weakness? I really don't think I succumb to the petrol station temptations these days, but in the supermarket I buy lots of things on impulse. As do we all and I have spoken about this before I think. We make a list and then buy several other things as well. 90% of us apparently. It might be on a special, it might be a new product, you might suddenly fancy something when you see it, you might see something you forgot you had needed - or in the case of my husband you might buy something just to get your bill up to the magic thirty dollars that will get you a discount on petrol - and there you are back at the petrol station. You get an even bigger discount if you buy something else instore!