Walking through a grocery store is a highly orchestrated visual experience. As you push your cart around the corner of an aisle, you run directly into a massive product display. These displays sit at the end of the shelving rows and face the main walkways. They feature bright signs and towering stacks of brand-name sodas or snacks. Your brain is conditioned to believe that any item featured in a giant display must be on sale. You grab a box and keep walking. You just fell for one of the oldest psychological tricks in retail. Here is the truth behind the end cap illusion and why big displays are not always the best deal.
