We've all heard of "impulse buys," things we spontaneously grab while shopping for other, actually-needed things. When we hear "impulse buy," we tend to think about the racks of magazines, chewing gum, and candy bars that are at the checkout counters of regular grocery stores. But just like Costco is larger-than-life where it comes to grocery shopping, its store layout is doing the same things regular supermarkets do, but on a much larger scale. Forcing you to walk through a maze of clothing and jewelry and electronics before you can finally reach the promised land of meat fridges and fresh veggies has one purpose only: To try to entice you into picking up as many unintended impulse purchases as possible (via CBS News).
Is it really worth making their customers feel lost and overwhelmed to get a few people to buy a surprise pair of sweatpants? Actually, yes. According to a 2018 survey by Slickdeals.net that was published by CNBC, the average American shopper spend a shocking $5,400 per year on impulse buys. That's a lot of unintended spending on the part of the customer and a lot of additional revenue for the retailers. Retail Designer Stan Laegreid calls the type of store layout that Costco uses a "racetrack" design, funneling customers and their oversized carts past as many potential temptations as possible.
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