Talk About Hard Selling
January 19th 2011 21:00
Photo by Parfois. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Speaking of buying designer goods (see previous post), a few weeks ago I was browsing at Prada. I saw a pink nylon bag which I had my eye on for weeks, now reduced by 30%. I asked the sales assistant to put it aside as I was going to buy it. I then tried on some of their other handbags in front of the mirror. That was when the sales assistant decided to try the hard sell on me.
“I think you should go for this one,” she said. “It’s much larger than the one you are going to buy and there’s not much difference in the price.”
“Yes, there is,” I said. “It’s double which means another $400.”
She looked shocked but I was like, how can you not know?
“That colour is better than the one you want to buy. It’s in season right now,” she said.
Now, anyone who knows me knows I do not dress according to what is in season. I go for classic pieces. I opened the handbag and had a look inside. It had a leather pocket on the inside as well as silver finishes and a fuchsia leather strap. Hmmm…obviously not as animal-friendly as the nylon one.
“This will go quickly,” she continued. Unbeknownst to her, her pushy manner was only putting me off buying. Not only that, I realised silver suited me better than gold – a bad thing considering the bag I had intended to buy came with a gold strap.
In the end, I was so bedazzled by all the colours, I decided not to buy anything. I told the sales assistant I would go for a walk and have a think about it.
“Don’t wait too long,” she said. “You wouldn’t want to miss this opportunity.”
What opportunity? I thought. As a frequent browser (I’m not rich enough to call myself a shopper) at Prada, I know they have bi-annual sales. On the other hand, I had just bought a bag from Fendi which came in a style which I had never seen marked down before. I had wanted one for years but was unwilling to pay full price for it. And now it was 40% cheaper. Now that’s what I call a golden opportunity.
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