![\"bags\"](\"http:\/\/d1435t697bgi2o.cloudfront.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/bags.jpg\")
<\/p>\nIf you venture into high-end stores like Gucci or Burberry on shopping trips, you probably know their salespeople aren\u2019t famous for their kindness.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I went to Louis Vuitton \u2026 the salesgirls were so [unfriendly]\u2014I could not believe it,\u201d writes a commenter on\u00a0The Fashion Spot<\/a>. \u201cI was just dressed normally \u2026 and when I walked in they stopped talking and stared at me. It was like walking into a freezer, they were so cold towards me.\u201d<\/p>\n In a forthcoming\u00a0study<\/a>\u00a0in theJournal of Consumer Research<\/em><\/a>,Morgan Ward<\/a>\u00a0of Southern Methodist University and\u00a0Darren Dahl<\/a>\u00a0of the Sauder School of Business use this quote to highlight an unsettling discrepancy between how we want salespeople to act and what actually gets us to buy things.<\/p>\n It\u2019s no secret that salespeople at upscale shops can be a little snobbish, if not outright rude, the researchers note. Consumer complaints recently have pressured some luxury retailers to train their staffs to be more approachable; Louis Vuitton even went as far as decorating the entrance of its Beverly Hills store with\u00a0a smiling cartoon apple<\/a>\u00a0in 2007. But if luxury retailers want to continue to rake in the dough, they actually should do the exact opposite, the study found. The ruder the salesperson the better.<\/p>\n In four online surveys, Ward and Dahl had participants imagine interactions with different types of salespeople under a bunch of different conditions. Variables included the imagined store\u2019s level of luxury, the extent of the salesperson\u2019s haughtiness, how well the salesperson represented the store\u2019s brand, and how closely participants themselves related with the brand. The results:<\/p>\n The results fall into a long line of research that demonstrates the extent to which rejection can jar our fragile self-conceptions. \u201cPeople have an innate need to belong to social groups that define and affirm their identities,\u201d the researchers write. \u201cSocial rejection motivates individuals to conform, obey, change their attitudes, work harder and generally try to present themselves in a favorable manner in order to gain acceptance.\u201d<\/p>\n The next time you\u2019re snubbed, maybe wait a day or two before any big purchase. Or just shop online, Ward and Dahl recommend. \u201cWhile many customers may purchase online for convenience, shopping online also may enable customers to avoid threatening encounters with intimidating salespeople,\u201d they conclude.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\u201cSocial rejection motivates individuals to conform, obey, change their attitudes, work harder and generally try to present themselves in a favorable manner in order to gain acceptance.\u201d<\/h3>\n
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