I think the super sizing gimmick is easy to implement in fast food chains since it can basically be a bullet point in the training manual and you can encourage employees to use the tactic to increase their sales with game-like award programs (employee of the month, etc).
The idea of presenting non-essential products to impulsive buyers at the point of payment is much more ubiquitous though: supermarkets and candy/magazines comes to mind.
They may use the carrot, but trust me, its the stick that keeps them doing it. I once worked at a movie theater where if a manager heard you forget to upsell to a customer, you could be fired on the spot. I even witnessed it a few times. Manager's friend bought some popcorn, didn't get upsold, manager asked said friend if he was suggested anything, and when he found out he wasn't, walked over to the counter and told the kid to take off his vest and leave.
No doubt both. Managers at those kind of jobs tend to be dead-ended mid 20's, and need to push around teenagers to feel important since anyone their age can see the truth. They also tend to prey on teenage girls... not a pretty sight.
I've had employees at the Starbucks inside Barnes & Noble get annoyed at me for only ordering a tall drip coffee, since it drives down their average transaction size, this being the metric on which they're being judged.
I tend to respond to upselling attempts with silence and a blank stare.
The idea of presenting non-essential products to impulsive buyers at the point of payment is much more ubiquitous though: supermarkets and candy/magazines comes to mind.