Buy Buy Buy

January 4, 2005 6:18 AM

They have ways of making you spend A guided tour of the tricks stores use to make you spend more.
posted by Mwongozi (19 comments total)

This is an awfully long "news" story that basically amounts to: "it's summer; remember to wear sun screen." "Buyer beware" is not a new concept.
posted by effwerd at 6:26 AM on January 4, 2005

The best stuff I've seen on this is by Paco Underhill. "Why We Buy" and "The Call of the Mall" were superb books... There was a great interview with him on Fresh Air awhile ago.
posted by ph00dz at 6:44 AM on January 4, 2005

Really? The theme seemed to be "Don't go when you are hungry, and keep your wits about you."

I learned this early.
posted by Balisong at 6:55 AM on January 4, 2005

This Gladwell article from the New Yorker also covers Paco Underhill and the science of shopping.
posted by driveler at 6:57 AM on January 4, 2005

Does anyone use the word "nappies?"
posted by DieHipsterDie at 7:01 AM on January 4, 2005

Does anyone use the word "nappies?"

Isn't he a gangsta rapper?
posted by Hands of Manos at 7:08 AM on January 4, 2005

Just wanted to second the recommendation on Why We Buy. A fascinating book. I haven't read The Call of the Mall yet--in fact I didn't know about it until reading ph00dz's comment--but it is now high on my to-read list.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 7:14 AM on January 4, 2005

They *gasp* want you to buy more? I'm absolutely shocked, shocked, to find gambling here...
posted by thedevildancedlightly at 7:26 AM on January 4, 2005

Does anyone use the word "nappies?"

Yes. Practically everybody in Britain does. It's derived from 'napkin'.

Over here in the UK, 'napkin' means terry towelling cloths used to swaddle infants, as well as something to wipe your mouth with.

Weird, but true. At least it's better than 'diaper'.
posted by ninthart at 7:31 AM on January 4, 2005

Weird, but true. At least it's better than 'diaper'.

Indeed, but who nowadays still wipes their mouth with a diaper?

Well, except for potty-mouths, of course.
posted by Ayn Marx at 7:52 AM on January 4, 2005

I dunno, plenty of people have been pretty shit faced lately.
posted by stray at 7:59 AM on January 4, 2005

Experiments have shown that when we walk down an aisle, we often look only at the shelves that are level with our eyes.

It constantly amazes me that people can earn advanced degrees, build careers, and make money by performing experiments like these.
posted by josh at 8:23 AM on January 4, 2005

Not the height of probity, to be sure, but I found this tidbit interesting:

Most of the prices in electrical stores end in.99p. But a few end in.98p or 95p. That's a signal that a product is old stock and needs to be sold quickly.

Is that generally true across the board?
posted by mkultra at 10:42 AM on January 4, 2005

I remember learning about all these things in my marketing class. Although I learned that the big brand names get the prime positions in the center of the aisle and the cheaper store brands on higher or lower shelves, not the other way around as suggested in this story. I also thought the prices ending with .99 was a psychological thing...$19.99 is perceived very differently than $20.00 even though it's only a penny difference.

Interesting read, though.
posted by SisterHavana at 11:07 AM on January 4, 2005

Another huge fan of Underhill's. I liked the first book (Why We Buy) much more than Call of the Mall. The Mall just seemed to have less detail in how the studies were done and why we might shop that way. Why People Buy Things They Don't Need is another good read - more broken down by industry and demographics than by store layout.
posted by whatzit at 11:44 AM on January 4, 2005

My favorite book along these lines is Robert Cialdini's Influence.

My favorite example from the book: if people are waiting in line for something (at a Xerox, say, to make copies) and someone asks to cut in front ("Can I go ahead of you?"), they'll usually be rebuffed. But if they they offer a reason, the chances of success go way up ("Can I go ahead of you? Because I'm already late for a meeting.")

The striking thing: people respond to the form of the request rather than the content. So if you phrase your request as if you're offering an explanation, even if you're not offering one, your chances will go up almost as much as if you had ("Can I go ahead of you? Because I have to make some copies.")

Saying that you "have to make some copies" (no shit) adds no new information to the request, but since it's perceived as an explanation, compliance goes up. Amazing.
posted by zanni at 12:03 PM on January 4, 2005

I also thought the prices ending with .99 was a psychological thing...$19.99 is perceived very differently than $20.00 even though it's only a penny difference.

Is this really true? Does anyone see a price of $19.99 and not think "twenty bucks"? I know I perceive $19.99 and $20 as the same thing, even though there is a difference of one cent.
posted by mr_roboto at 3:14 PM on January 4, 2005

Douglas Rushkoff wrote a great book called "Coercion" that delves even further into this sort of information, to the point where as a reader you get really paranoid that you have no free will.

The other day I was on my way back for a gallon of milk and freaked out when i saw how much i had accumulated on my trip through the store. I've also been known to panic when i see that every item in my basket is red.

Rushkoff goes into the idea of the new breed of shopper who thinks they're beyond the overt media influence, and then details how commerce is working around that. Good, good, good book. Promise.
posted by redsparkler at 5:19 PM on January 4, 2005

Rushkoff also went on produce the "Marketers of Cool" Frontline special.
posted by drezdn at 6:58 PM on January 4, 2005