Market Research for the Win

Market research is no joke.

The people in charge ("the man"?) have figured me out. And I'm simultaneously impressed and embarrassed. 

A few weeks ago I was in line at the supermarket, and apparently the wait was on the longer side so much so that I started noticing the snacks that were readily available to me as I stood in line. They were very conveniently located so that I didn't even have to give a sheepish look to the person in line behind me as I darted to Aisle 5 to grab just one more thing... 

The tiny pack of parmesan crisp crackers caught my attention. I let my shoulder angels battle it out: "Perfect snack size!"    "Full fat--all cheese!"    "It's right there!"    "It's there to tempt you!"

The hungry angel won the war and I discovered that the snack-size pack of parmesan crisps is not, in fact, worth the calories. Lesson learned. But job well done marketing people. You got me to buy and try. 

Having evidently not learned my lesson, today in Target, as I waited in a longer-than-usual line, I started looking around. I should have just gone to Instagram and lurked. But no. I didn't do that. I glanced at the tabloids (Drew Barrymore is the happiest she's ever been!) and then 180'd to the impulse-purchase side. And well done, Target. Seriously. Peanuts (arguably good for you), chips (in the small, single-serving bags that are hard to find and easy to justify), breath mints (do they even have calories?), and candy. And this is where they got me. I made all the classic mistakes-- shopping before lunch, slightly hungry, and on a Sunday when the store had lines. I'm such an amateur. I literally have no chance of making it through this Target foray without something from this section. 

Hmmm. What might I consume that wouldn't ruin my lunch and could be considered not terrible (a low bar, I know, but I wasn't even trying for healthy--I know what battles to pick). I settled on Peanut M&Ms. Because peanuts (please refer back to "arguably good for you"). So 50% good for me. I can work with that number. 

These on-the-fly buys make me feel like I'm predictable. "The man" knows exactly what I might want and puts it right where I can't miss it. And I fall for it. Sometimes even when I'm not hungry (I'll just keep it in my purse in case I'm stuck in traffic--HA! that one sounded so much more justifiable when there was actual traffic and actual places to go). 

So I guess kudos to you, "the man". You clearly know what you're doing. If I might make one small suggestion--could you please add Hot Tamales to the impulse-purchase section? You'll get me every. single. time.