While completing her graduate studies in human resource management, my wife was recruited by the Target Corporation and worked in their management training program for almost a year. Although she didn’t enjoy her experience, I certainly did. During her tenure, I would pepper her with questions about the various facets of her position, the company, and their business. As a result, I received a graduate-level eduction in the science of retail.

While I knew that Target has been a perennial member of the Fortune 500, I had no idea that its managers were trained so thoroughly, compensated so generously or that their approach to selling was so scientific. In case you didn’t know, let me be the first to tell you: every time you walk into any store, everything in the store has been purposed designed with one objective in mind: to separate you from as much of your money as possible. In order to do so, they deploy a variety of tactics. They purposely widen the aisles so you can spend more time browsing. They dress their associates in certain styles and colors that generate pleasant emotions. They also strategically place certain items near the checkout line to increase the chances that you will purchase them. That last strategy is called “impulse buying.”

According to one source, impulse buying refers “to the tendency to engage in hasty, unplanned purchases,” occurs after consumers feel a “sudden urge to buy something without going through a deliberate evaluation of the purchasing decision,” and is usually the result of an external stimuli—like seeing a bag of potato chips near the cash register. I was shocked to learn that in some supermarkets, impulse buying accounts can generate 60% of total revenue! What makes impulse buying so seductive is that it’s so convenient. And the easier an activity, the more likely we are to engage in it. Thus, stores do the best they can to reduce the “friction” required to get as much of your money as possible. That’s why somewhere near the checkout lines, car washes have candy bars, laundrymats have vending machines, and liquor stores have potato chips.

I don’t drink and have never been drunk. I don’t like the smell or the taste of liquor. But I can’t tell you how many times I have been headed home after a late meeting and wanted a snack—but the only store open was the liquor store. In my earlier years, I wouldn’t think twice about going into a liquor store to get some chips and maybe a candy bar. But a friend of mine once told told me that a mentor of his once told him you should never buy your potato chips at the liquor store.

Although I initially ignored and rejected that idea, I have come to understand, accept, and practice its’ wisdom. 1 Thessalonians 5:22 advises us to “avoid the appearance of evil.” We all must accept the fact that for most people, their perception is their reality. We must all accept the fact that people are superficial, make hasty judgements, and jump to conclusions. 1 Samuel 16:7 informs us that man “looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” It’s wonderful to know that God can see our hearts. Unfortunately, others cannot. So be clear: you will be judged based on how you look, how you sound, and how you carry yourself. This may be unfair, but it is true.

I heard Denzel Washington say in an interview that Sidney Poitier told him that in order to be an A-list actor, he would have to become extremely deliberate and discerning about when to making public appearances. “If they see you every day,” Denzel remembers Sidney saying, “they won’t pay to see you when the movie comes out.” A-listers must move carefully. A-listers must move deliberately. A-listers must watch the company they keep. And A-listers must guard their reputation.

Some stuff is, as they say, “just not a good look.” Even if you went to the liquor store because it was the only store open at the time and even if all you wanted was some potato chips, if the the wrong person sees you going in or going out, snaps a photo and then shares it on social media, that will present some uncomfortable questions. But the truth is, none of the foregoing has to occur. Sometimes just being seen in the wrong place (even if you aren’t doing the wrong thing) can negatively influence how you are perceived—even if that perception is never shared. Someone can be walking around with an erroneous perspective about who you are simply based on something they saw. “Discretion”, as the inimitable William Shakespeare opined, “is the better part of valor.”

Make a decision that you will be more careful and conscientious about where you go and who you go with, and what you do and who you do it with. Don’t be so impulsive. Think ahead. Ponder. Evaluate. Before engaging in any activity ask yourself “how might this look?”

Taking these actions is not designed to trap you in the oubilette of other people’s ideas. Rather, it a strategy adopted by the wise to protect and extend their influence.

And if you know you might be hungry later, pack some chips.