The Economics of Empty Carts

What Walmart Checkouts Tell Us About North America

Dear Unlearners,

I watched someone at the Walmart checkout the other day.

She placed each item on the belt methodically. One at a time. Not because she was slow. But because she was counting.

Milk: $7.08

Eggs: $3.97

Bread: $3.27

The running total matters more than ever.

We've been trained to be impatient in lines. To see slow checkers and dawdling customers as…