bloodyrosemccoy (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
bloodyrosemccoy) wrote2014-02-26 12:18 pm
bloodyrosemccoy) wrote2014-02-26 12:18 pm
Entry tags:
Upsetting Upsell
Went to a Jewelry Party this weekend.
It was at least as weird as it sounds.
I have to say, "getting sold things" isn't my idea of a fun get-together, but by and large neither are regular "not getting sold things" parties. But the person hosting this party is one of the nicest people in the world, and anyway since I was a kid I have considered it my Solemn Duty As A Writer to have new experiences no matter how bizarre, so I figured what the hell. And anyway, it's inexplicably fascinating to watch Sales Tactics In Action.
I mean, this saleslady was SELLING. The last time someone has that aggressively tried to convince me that I was getting a good deal was back in school when we'd have "assemblies" where the World's Perkiest Guy hollered about all the Fabulous Prizes that his company would just straight up GIVE us as long as we sold 300 magazine subscriptions or sub-par chocolate bars.* There was some serious psychology going on--there were prizes given out for people who had written the most things on their wish lists, and enforced audience participation,** and the offering of AMAZING DEALS in which they would knock the price of their terrible jewelry down from "absurdly overpriced" to "about what the jewelry is actually worth," and carefully repeating the brand name with Positive Language or some such nonsense, and basically use of the friendly setting to shame your ass into buying their junk.
It was attempted brain-hacking in action. And I am a sucker (har) for watching that sort of thing, at least until they try to include me. Although I do get rather justice-y about it when it goes too far: one person played a game and scored the "prize" of hosting another one of these weirdass parties, and when she tried to gracefully offer excuses as to why a party would not be feasible--no real place to host it, no friends who would be interested, no time, is actually the Dark Lord of the Otherworld and partygoers would only be dragged off to an eternity of ritualistic torture from devout Cenobites, etc.--and the saleslady just kept coming up with solutions around the problems. I am pretty sure she was getting the hint, but by god she was going to use polite social conventions to her advantage, and backing off was NOT an option. Which, again, is interesting to watch, but not if you're the one being dragooned into hosting a goddamn stupid jewelry party. So I stepped in to break the cycle and suggested that the guest "take a few days to think about it."
"I'll call you!" the sales lady said brightly. But it's a lot easier to say "I've thought about it and it's not gonna work" at that point.
So I left the party without any jewelry. But I did get to chat with some old friends, and meet some new ones, and get into a wonderfully nerdy conversation with one about DnD, so hey, the evening was nice anyway.
*Unless they are the Scholastic Book Fair, fundraisers at schools are unpleasant all around. Can't I just DONATE some money to convert your school gym into a Legends of the Hidden Temple set? Do I HAVE to get the coupon books?
**It was a relief that she never targeted me for that, because I've gotten pretty good at resisting enforced audience participation, and it's awkward for everybody.
It was at least as weird as it sounds.
I have to say, "getting sold things" isn't my idea of a fun get-together, but by and large neither are regular "not getting sold things" parties. But the person hosting this party is one of the nicest people in the world, and anyway since I was a kid I have considered it my Solemn Duty As A Writer to have new experiences no matter how bizarre, so I figured what the hell. And anyway, it's inexplicably fascinating to watch Sales Tactics In Action.
I mean, this saleslady was SELLING. The last time someone has that aggressively tried to convince me that I was getting a good deal was back in school when we'd have "assemblies" where the World's Perkiest Guy hollered about all the Fabulous Prizes that his company would just straight up GIVE us as long as we sold 300 magazine subscriptions or sub-par chocolate bars.* There was some serious psychology going on--there were prizes given out for people who had written the most things on their wish lists, and enforced audience participation,** and the offering of AMAZING DEALS in which they would knock the price of their terrible jewelry down from "absurdly overpriced" to "about what the jewelry is actually worth," and carefully repeating the brand name with Positive Language or some such nonsense, and basically use of the friendly setting to shame your ass into buying their junk.
It was attempted brain-hacking in action. And I am a sucker (har) for watching that sort of thing, at least until they try to include me. Although I do get rather justice-y about it when it goes too far: one person played a game and scored the "prize" of hosting another one of these weirdass parties, and when she tried to gracefully offer excuses as to why a party would not be feasible--no real place to host it, no friends who would be interested, no time, is actually the Dark Lord of the Otherworld and partygoers would only be dragged off to an eternity of ritualistic torture from devout Cenobites, etc.--and the saleslady just kept coming up with solutions around the problems. I am pretty sure she was getting the hint, but by god she was going to use polite social conventions to her advantage, and backing off was NOT an option. Which, again, is interesting to watch, but not if you're the one being dragooned into hosting a goddamn stupid jewelry party. So I stepped in to break the cycle and suggested that the guest "take a few days to think about it."
"I'll call you!" the sales lady said brightly. But it's a lot easier to say "I've thought about it and it's not gonna work" at that point.
So I left the party without any jewelry. But I did get to chat with some old friends, and meet some new ones, and get into a wonderfully nerdy conversation with one about DnD, so hey, the evening was nice anyway.
*Unless they are the Scholastic Book Fair, fundraisers at schools are unpleasant all around. Can't I just DONATE some money to convert your school gym into a Legends of the Hidden Temple set? Do I HAVE to get the coupon books?
**It was a relief that she never targeted me for that, because I've gotten pretty good at resisting enforced audience participation, and it's awkward for everybody.