Why Are Stores Charging Customers to Browse?
March 26, 2013 in Blogs
By Mary Elizabeth Williams, Salon
In case you needed another reason to just stay home and order everything off the Internet – how about two news reports in one day of retailers charging customers merely to come in and browse?
Over the weekend, sharp-eyed posters on Reddit pointed out a sign in the window of the Australian gluten-free grocer Celiac Supplies warning that “As of the first of February, this store will be charging people a $5 fee per person for ‘just looking.’ The $5 fee will be deducted when goods are purchased.” No mention, by the way, of a refund if a customer leaves empty-handed.
Meanwhile, over in China, overrated bridal gown designer Vera Wang has celebrated the opening of her new wedding boutique by announcing that “every potential customer at the Shanghai store will be charged 3,000 yuan ($482) simply to try on the gowns for sale.”Shoppers have also been scolded that they should give the store “several weeks” to get an appointment, when they will then be allotted just 90 minutes to try on clothes. Seriously, shoppers, it’s called eBay, and you can ogle all day long for free there.
Of course, it’s not that simple. What those unlikely comrades Celiac Supplies and Vera Wang both know is that despite the ease of online shopping, humans still enjoy the experience of in-person shopping. Retailers understand the social and sensual aspects of shopping. Our senses enjoy a deluge of colors and scents – which is why the produce is the first thing that hits you when you walk in a supermarket. They know the fuzzy sweaters need to go right where you can see them when you walk in too, so you can fondle them. As University of Alberta professor Kyle Murray once explained, “The physical space of a store, and the situation people find themselves in as consumers, has a very strong impact on what people buy.”
But trying on a dress or shaking a box of gluten-free biscuits doesn’t always lead to full shopping consummation. As Consumerist points out, vendors are increasingly concerned with the practice of “showrooming” — scoping an item in a store and then ordering it more …read more
Source: ALTERNET
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