Sales assistants could do better to be more snobby says survey

WHILE we’re definitely not advocating for more attitude in retail, don’t blame us if you do discover more aloof sales assistants.

We all remember that great scene from Pretty Woman where the snobby sales assistant got owned.

THOU shalt have ‘tude.

While we’re definitely not advocating for more attitude in retail (if anything, we’d like it to go away altogether), don’t blame us if you do discover more aloof sales assistants.

That’s if luxury stores adopt this new retail commandment found in research by the University of British Columbia’s Saunder School of Business.

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The study, aptly titled Should the Devil Sell Prada? Retail Rejection Increases Aspiring Consumers’ Desire for the Brand, concludes “that snobbiness might actually be a qualification worth considering for luxury brands like Louis Vuitton or Gucci.”

“Our research indicates they can end up having a similar effect to an ‘in-group’ in high school that others aspire to join,” says the School’s marketing professor Darren Dahl. Is this giving you nightmarish flashbacks too?

But the logic kind of makes sense. High fashion brands have a certain allure and so if a sales assistant appears to represent that unattainable exclusivity, shoppers are more likely to want to buy into it.

There are some notable qualifications. Firstly, “you’ve got to be the right kind of snob in the right kind of store for the effect to work,” says Dahl. So you can’t be snooty on the high street. Secondly, repeated rude service will over time diminish the desire for the product.

So, what do you think? Do snobby sales assistants work?

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Julia Roberts’ character in Pretty Woman sure showed them all.