NCBI ROFL: Getting bad customer service? Maybe you should change your clothes.

Explore how customer service influence varies based on female shopper appearance in formal versus informal clothing.

Written byncbi rofl
| 1 min read
Google NewsGoogle News Preferred Source

Newsletter

Sign up for our email newsletter for the latest science news

Sign Up

Customer service as a function of shopper's attire. "A field experiment explored whether a female shopper's appearance would influence the customer service she received. Specifically, a female confederate dressed in formal work clothes (skirt and blouse) or informal gym clothes (tights and t-shirt) entered a series of randomly selected women's clothing stores in a large mall and proceeded to "shop." The amount of time that passed before an employee approached and acknowledged the confederate served as the dependent variable. As hypothesized, she was acknowledged significantly sooner when formally attired than when informally dressed. Thus, clothing, like other aspects of appearance, influences how people are evaluated and treated by others."

Photo: flickr/Tsar Kasim

Related content: Discoblog: NCBI ROFL: Shopping cart etiquette triple feature. Discoblog: NCBI ROFL: On Machiavellianism and car salesmen. Discoblog: NCBI ROFL: An informal look at use of bakery department tongs and tissues. NCBI ROFL. Real articles. Funny subjects. Read our FAQ!

Meet the Author

Stay Curious

JoinOur List

Sign up for our weekly science updates

View our Privacy Policy

SubscribeTo The Magazine

Save up to 40% off the cover price when you subscribe to Discover magazine.

Subscribe