Retail Therapy
10 Tricks of the Trade Every Shopper Should Know.
 
Scented air conditioning, specially-placed baskets and 2-for-1 offers ... you wouldn't believe how crafty retailers are when they're trying to get us to spend, spend, spend! From the Sunday People magazine, SUSANNA GAULTON uncovers some of the sneaky scams we fall for. . .
 
Trick 1 : You're so vain
    Retailers will do anything to get us into their shops. Large colourful window displays are an obvious ploy to grab our attention and make us take a peek inside. But they've also worked out that, by strategically placing mirrors in the window, we slow down – and often enter the door – because none of us can resist checking out how we look.
 
Trick 2 : Care for a Basket Madam?
    Once inside, we've become willing prey. Many shops have a power display near the front door, which immediately intrigues us and makes us slow down and browse. American-based retail expert Paco Underhill, author of Why We Buy; The Science Of Shopping, says: "It takes a few seconds to adjust to being in the store – for a moment we are dazzled by the sights, sounds, smells and lights." This may be used as an opportunity for assistants to thrust a basket into our arms. According to psychologist Martin Lloyd-Elliott, who works at the Eden Medical Centre in London, this method is very effective. "People conform to the culture of the shop, so if we're handed a basket we're unlikely to hand it back empty."
 
Trick 3 : Mummy can I have. . .
Children are a target for retailers, particularly supermarkets. Paco says: "The marketplace wants and needs kids. Automatic doors, wide aisle and no steps all make it easy for parents with pushchairs. And if retailers want to sell something to children, you can be sure they'll place it where little hands can grab it. If it's within their reach, there's at least a chance that parents will buy it." Apparently, dads are especially likely to pay for the quiet life!
 
Trick 4 : Mmm. . . that smells familiar
Retailers have learnt how to make the most of our senses. Most supermarkets now have in-store bakeries which fill the air with warm, homely scents. Some children's stores even pipe in baby powder through the airducts to put shoppers in mind of the sweet smell of newborn babies.
    "It's amazing how powerful our sense of smell is," says psychologist Martin Lloyd-Elliott. "If you create the smell of French bread in a supermarket, sales of all French related products will increase."
 
Trick 5 : Play that funky music
Choosing the right music for your customers can be tricky. But retailing expert Paco Underhill says: "If staff get it right, hearing your favourite song can be a powerful selling tool." Subliminally, it tells us that the store knows what we like and knows the image we like to project of ourselves.
    Interestingly, as the day goes on the beat gets faster. "At 10am, we shop slowly because we've got the whole day ahead of us," says Paco. "At lunch, we have limited shopping time, so music with a faster beat is played."
 
Trick 6 : What women want
It's practially a fact of life – women love to shop and men hate it. Stores know this and do everything they can to get the moaning men out of the way, leaving the women free for spending sprees. Seats placed outside changing rooms allow men to browse through strategically placed glossy magazines, and last Christmas, the Lakeside Shopping Center in Thurrock, Essex, UK, even went so far as to provide a men's creche complete with 40 computer games and refreshments!
 
Trick 7 : Suits you, sir!
Clothes shops have worked out that if an assistant is on hand to show you to your changing room, fetch you alternative sizes and tell you how you look, you are far more likely to make a purchase. If we try on clothes which make us look good, we'll often say "To hell with the cost," and buy it anyway. So shops often sneakily have large, flattering mirrors and soft lighting to make us look good.
 
Trick 8 : I want some of what she's got
Can you remember the last time you saw an unattractive or very fat assistant in a clothes shop? Probably not. Many fashion chains only employ good-looking people to wear their clothes, look great and act as walking advertisments for the shop.
 
Trick 9 : It was just such a bargain. . .
None of us can resist something that seems good value – though often what we are being sold is anything but. We've all bought something unnecessary just because you get another (equally unnecessary) sample for free. That's exactly 2-for-1 offers work. Also, notice how many shops now offer deals, like three pairs of knickers for £12, which somehow sounds cheaper than £4 a pair. Rediculous – but effective.
 
Trick 10 : Just one last thing. . .
The final manœuvre. Shops try to make it as difficult as possible for you to leave the store. Craftily, they place cash registers and escalators where we're forced to walk past tempting displays before we walk out the door. Even when we're paying by the till, they use it as a last chance to make us buy those attractive looking chocolates, sweets and magazines. Even a simple pair of tights – we just can't resist that final splurge. But don't worry – it's not our fault.
 

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