One scenario remains in memory from my trip to Taiwan this summer. On the last day before my departure, my cousin and I took the subway and train to Ying Ge Pottery Museum. Ying Ge was known for its pottery, porcelain and china. We strolled down the stores of Pottery Lane afterwards and looked at all the pottery creations.My cousin and I stopped in store after store. We went into one shop called Ah Dan's Store. I looked at the things in there and noticed a strong smell in the store. The things looked too homemade and there were many irregularities on each piece of work. Harry and I were about to leave, when suddenly the store-owner approached us. She greeted us and started talking about herself.
The first instinct I had was that this woman was trying to talk us into buying something. I stared hard at her and scrutinized her words. She introduced these bowls to us and described the designs on the bowls as "layers of roses." In my mind, I smirked, thinking how clever of her to think up such a line specifically targeted at susceptible young adults. She then said that those bowls sold in department stores for about $30, but she was only selling her art to "people whom I have the fate to meet," for only $6. By that time, I was convinced this con lady was trying to rip us off in broad daylight. I gave Harry these agitated looks and walked off as the lady talked on. Sure, it was sort of rude, but hey, plenty of storekeepers have been rude to me ever since my trip began. One saleswoman in a clothing store shoved all the customers to the side of the shop, yelling, "Everyone outta the way! Our boss doesn't like it when people block our clothes with their big bodies!"
I wrung my hands in boredom and annoyance as the con lady continued her spiel on my unsuspecting cousin. Harry was drawn into her story already, nodding his head, laughing at her jokes, and asking her questions. From what I learned in social psychology, I reasoned that she was using this one sales technique called the reciprocity effect. The trick can include keeping your customer for a long period of time, causing him or her to invest a lot of time in your store feeling comfortable and talking to you, developing a sort of bond or rapport. The implicit result is that due to people's natural instincts to reciprocate favors from others, the customer will feel naturally obligated to buy something. I felt I was totally onto her by then, and marveled at Harry's naivete. The guy grew up in the city--you'd think he would be more vigilant about such things.
The con lady lead my cousin to this table in the back of the store and showed him a photo album of her works. After pacing around the front of the store for awhile, I joined them for the sake of keeping an eye on Harry. She flipped through and introduced practically every single photo to us. She took a picture of every piece of art and painting she created. She told us how hard it was to burn a painting onto a piece of pottery, and said that she spent three days just burning one those rose-layer bowls. Harry oozed with awe and kept asking her who this and that person was in the photos. Apparently she posed with a few mayors and city officials who had bought her art. She even told us that she doesn't sell her work to just anyone. Flattery, I thought. "Only people whom fate brings me to meet," she said, smiling at us, "like you two." She started asking us where we were from. Nodding toward me, she told my cousin he has such a pretty big sister. Flattery, I thought again, to an absurd degree! She gave us water to drink and pointed out some of the works she felt most proud of. I knew deep down that she must have an ulterior motive in doing all this. Just because she happened to be an artist, I thought to myself, nothing could erase the fact that after all, she was a business woman.
Finally we had to get going after two hours in the store. She told us a bit more about the "rose-layer" bowls on display. Harry seemed interested in them; he probably wanted to buy one for his girlfriend. Amazingly, the con lady seemed to read his mind; she picked it up and said to him demurely, "Why don't you get one of these for your girlfriend? You can give her roses that will never wilt away...isn't that romantic?" I rolled my eyes, thinking, oh-my-gosh surely Harry will see through that! What a perfect line to feed a young man in love. I was determined not to be deceived.
Harry bumped me in the arm and whispered excitedly, " I think I'm going to buy something!" I said, "Oh really you are?" He was bubbling with enthusiasm and I was coldly standing askance. Couldn't he read my body language? I guessed ESP between cousins was not likely. I sort of gave up on him, thinking since he had the money to splurge, I might as well let him enjoy himself. He greedily scooped up 5 bowls at once, coming to a total of $30. He asked me, "Big-sister, aren't you going to buy one too? As a souvenir? Things like these are hard to come by!" I smiled at him and shook my head resolutely. There was no way I was going to sell out to someone as sly as this conniving woman! I imagined my aunt and uncle yelling at my cousin for being stupid and confirming his big sister¡¦s clear-headedness for not succumbing to such trickery.
The lady seemed happy to sell those bowls to Harry and wrapped them up for him. She gave him a small planting stone, a stone with many holes in it for people to plant seeds into. She said, "It's free for anyone who buys my art. I don't sell these because I don't want my neighbors, who also sell these, to think I'm competing with them." Harry asked her for her business card and seemed so happy to have spent the last couple of hours listening to her. I was about to breathe a sigh of relief; I had resisted being duped like my silly cousin. Victory was at hand.
Before I stepped out of the store, the lady stopped me. She had quietly retreated for a moment into the store and now tugged gently at my arm. She placed a small planting stone in my hand. She said, "You didn't buy anything, but I'd like you to have a souvenir anyway. Keep it." She smiled at me kindly, and wished me a safe trip back to the U.S. I palmed the stone, thanked her, and walked away from Ah Dan's Store in silence.
She was only an artist on Pottery Lane, after all.