Checkout Line Impulse Buying Hard on the Diet

I did it again today. I was in line at a grocery store checkout counter patiently waiting when I spotted it. A dark chocolate Dove Bar. I always rationalize buying one of these by telling my self dark chocolate is a heart healthy choice. However according to a study I came across from IHL impulse buying at the checkout counter can be tough on the waistline with candy, chips and soda the primary culprits.

The average American woman could lose 4.1 lbs a year simply from resisting the urge to purchase impulse items such as chocolate candies, chips, and soda once they are in the checkout line, according to the study. The average woman in the study claimed to purchase and consume over 14,300 calories from calorie impulse items over the period of a year (3,500 calories per pound). While women have an overall higher average, men under the age of 25 years old are the heaviest consumers of caloric impulse items, consuming enough calories each year for an additional eight lbs!

via IHL Group – Press Releases.

There is, however, a way to avoid the checkout line temptation.

Self-checkout systems have a dramatic impact on the purchase of impulse items at checkout. Impulse purchases among women drop 32.1 percent and men 16.7 percent when self-checkout is used instead of a staffed checkout. The primary cause of the drop, according to the study, comes from the fact that self-checkout devices are not as merchandised as staffed lanes in most retailers. Additionally, there is usually a shorter line at each unit, removing the captive audience with the tempting impulse items in front of them.

via IHL Group – Press Releases.

So did I buy that Dove Bar? Eh, I don’t remember.