Everyone wants to sit with the cool kids, rub elbows with VIPs, drink Jay Z’s champagne and bask in the glow of the Cooler Than Thou. Right?
Right. According to new research, the ruder sales staff, the better the sales, at least at high-end spots. The study was conducted by Morgan Ward of Southern Methodist University and Darren Dahl of the Sauder School of Business. Writing for Pacific Standard, Paul Bisceglio breaks it down:
Rejection makes people want to buy luxury goods. A salesperson’s condescending attitude has little effect on consumers’ desire to buy more affordable brands like Gap and American Eagle, though.
Rejection is stronger when salespeople convincingly embody brands in the way they act and dress. Sloppy salespeople aren’t as intimidating.
People who really want to own a particular brand are even more influenced by rejection. Instead of switching their loyalties, customers just become more attached.
Rejection works best in the short term. While great at pressuring people into buying something in the moment, dismissive staff may still alienate customers in the long run.
But I’d argue that this does not work on all people. Or: This does not work on me. I’m like an old Cheap Trick song. I want you to want me. When people are rude/cold/aloof to me in a store, I give them my best I am attempting to singe you with my eyeballs look and then I promptly leave. For me, the nicer the salesperson is, the more likely I am to be charmed into dropping cash. In fact, I’m the type to buy something I’m not sure about if the person helping me is actually helpful. Not aggressive, not fake or cloying, just like, pleasant. But psychology like this keeps women shelling out for overpriced bags and buying Vogue and sitting with Regina George at the Plastics’ table. Although, results do vary:
“Our study shows you’ve got to be the right kind of snob in the right kind of store for the effect to work,” says Dahl.
Meanwhile, there’s this headline from Time: “You Think Food Tastes Better If It’s Expensive.” WAKE UP SHEEPLE.
Image via Getty.
