Remember that sad scene in Pretty Woman where Julia Roberts walks into the super-swanky Rodeo Drive boutique (as Natalie Cole belts “Wild Women Do” in the background) only to be told by the bitchy sales associates that they “don’t have anything for you, you’re obviously in the wrong place. Please leave.” Poor Julia.
Well, it turns out that bitchiness from retail associates is actually a huge sales driver. According to a new study conducted by the University of British Colombia’s Sauder School of Business, the ruder the sales staff, the higher the sales.
The study, cleverly called "Should The Devil Sell Prada?," staged several interactions in which both rude and friendly sales associates assisted customer participants. And lo and behold, customers who expressed a desire to be associated with luxury brands reported an increased aspiration to own the high-end products after being treated poorly. To put it plainly, they just wanted to fit in.
Our research indicates [rude sales associates] can end up having a similar effect to an 'in-group' in high school that others aspire to join. — Darren Dahl, Sauder marketing professor
So it's true: you can never escape high school mean girls!
Now, what do we have to say to The Sauder School of Business for publicizing this study—thereby encouraging brands like Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Bergdorf’s to be even more stand-offish, rude and hoity-toity elitist than they already are? “Big mistake… big…. huge!”
Image: ThinkStock
