IHL consulting polled 1,000 shoppers in the US on what they grab while waiting in the check-out line, from nothing to chocolates. I have a regular battle with my sweet tooth and children while paying for groceries because of the raft of delights staring me in the face. None of those sweets are good for me or the children so I invariably say no, and have to repeat it a dozen times on each occasion!
The results at the poll show how tough it is: Women typically buy items that add up to about 14,300 calories every year – enough to pack about 2 kg onto the average American woman. The average man buys about 11,100 calories annually at checkout – enough to gain about 1.5 kg. (Males under 25 pick up enough snacks to add over 3 kg. It would be a service to society if the snacks were replaced with fruit and veg, even magazines – very unlikely, so in the meantime practice control of those dangerous impulses or shop online.
I agree, it’s a shame that the selection is so unhealthy. Even decent cereal bars at the check-out would be an improvement. One tactic I use when shopping with young children is to hand them a fairly innocuous “treat” – bread roll or juice – near the end of the shop, and hope it lasts through the queue at the till! They still whine for the goodies but at least I can point to their stuffed mouths and say “you’ve already GOT a treat!”. Older children have to make do with “No.”