Many years ago as a teen I worked seasonally at a big blue/yellow electronics store that sells TVs, computers, appliances....and candy at the register. Curious, I asked my manager about it.
"Oh yeah, someone comes in here to buy a $10 HDMI cable, and impulse buys a $2 candy bar at checkout. Instant 20% more sales. Gas stations, pharmacies, they all do it."
It ought to be illegal. Ideally I could choose to shop somewhere that didn’t do that, but like your boss said, they all do it. It makes shopping with small children hellish.
the UK is supposed to have made it illegal to have unhealthy stuff etc. near checkouts and illegal to include them in certain promos (e.g. buy-one-get-one-free) - I thought it had passed into law years ago, but when I had a quick look it isn't even due to take effected until 2025 and until then everyone is ignoring it anyway.
"Oh yeah, someone comes in here to buy a $10 HDMI cable, and impulse buys a $2 candy bar at checkout. Instant 20% more sales. Gas stations, pharmacies, they all do it."