Although students are on a constant lookout for thrift stores, with the holiday season just around the corner, they need to know some fun facts before they initiate on their luxurious adventures at Barneys New York or Bloomingdale’s.
Marketing technique is essential, especially in markets or department stores and the marketing representatives are always concerned with the question of “How will we make our customers buy more products?” What secrets are hidden behind their clever techniques? Let’s find out:
1. There are no windows or clocks.
If one looks around a department store, there are no windows or clocks. It is to make customers forget about the flow of time and focus on shopping.
2. Where is the toilet?
In every department, there are no washrooms on the first floor. It is because when customers go to the washroom on higher levels, it makes them also take a look at other products.
3. The escalator vs The elevator
Do you like using the escalator or the elevator? Well, in a department store, one has to look for an elevator in the corner of the store, but the escalator is right there in the middle. It is the marketing department’s scheme to make their customers use the escalator more than the elevator, for customers are able to (or should I say “forced?”) look through more of the store...and don’t even get me started on “impulsive shopping."
4. The men’s clothes are on higher levels.
For most households, wives tend to buy their husbands’ clothes. Men usually visit the department store with a purpose and achieve it in short time. However, going back to point number 3, since women are more prone to shopping impulsively than men, the department stores have the women’s stores in the lower levels and the men’s store on higher levels. It is to make the women shop for other things on their way to shopping for the men’s clothes.
5. What is your jam?
When it is forenoon and there are fewer people, the stores turn on serene music. However, when it becomes the afternoon or the evening when there is a rise in population, the music selection changes to more speedy songs. Psychologically, when people hear upbeat music, their minds tend to rush and finish their shopping hastily. In seasons when the store has unconventional bargains, they jam to fast music more often.
6. Why are there no mirrors?
There are no mirrors in the fitting rooms of department stores. The hidden reason behind this is to not let the customer choose for themselves whether to buy the product or not. The mischievous lighting and the sweet words of the employee will raise the percentage of a purchase.
7. I can see through you!
In supermarkets, one pulls around a shopping cart that can be seen through. The reason behind making the carts see-through is because, psychologically, seeing another person’s full cart makes one want to buy more things to make their cart also full.
Also, there is an effect of one person buying a certain product simply because they saw it in another person’s cart and thought it looked worthy of purchase.
Now, knowing these secrets, you might think you can protect your money from being spent uselessly, but since you are a human being, it is simply inevitable!
