I place my gift shop in such a way that my guests are forced to go through it to exit the museum. Does anyone know if this actually generates sales? Do the guests in this game "impulse buy" something because they are going through the gift shop or are the guests who are/were "destined" to buy something in the gift shop will do so no matter where I put it.

​I always include "exit via gift shop” — feels essential. But in-game, it seems like there’s just some mechanics at play: if NPCs get close enough, they are programmed statistically to either buy or don’t. They’re not distracted by items on display just because they have to walk through the shop.  I even built one so they had to walk through the shop to reach the next area of museum, but most just passed straight through. Same with a café across a walkway — no noticeable extra engagement. So it feels more like a set bit of programming (maybe based on visitor type, mood, enjoyment and engagement and proximity trigger) than anything behaviourally rich.

I'd be keen to know if anyone has done stats on who buys what. I usually focus on items related to what on display but notice kids by the Sonic stuff even when I don't have those items around the museum.