This post originally ran on Gordon Houser’s blog, Present Tense Spirituality. 

In the December issue of The Atlantic, Eleanor Smith draws on a variety of studies to show some of the scientific tricks stores use to get you go buy their products. You can skip the Black Friday lines altogether and make a #GivingTuesday donation to The Mennonite or your favorite ministry of choice instead.

If you insist on braving the crowds, here are some tricks Smith mentions that you should be aware of:

1. We perceive prices to be lower when they have fewer syllables and end with a 9.
2. Stores overprice merchandise, then later mark it down. Smith says this is “a cognitive bias psychologists refer to as ‘anchoring.’ ”
3. Stores know to give options, but not too many, since choice can be overwhelming to customers and discourage purchases.
4. Believe it or not, snootiness can deliver a sale. Smith notes that one recent study found that “compared with friendly salespeople, rude clerks caused customers with low self-confidence to spend more and, in the short term, to feel more positively toward an ‘aspirational brand’ (that is, a brand that you covet but cannot afford).”
5. Stores are wise to avoid communal dressing rooms because “when a customer who feels badly (sic) about her appearance tries something on and spots an attractive fellow shopper wearing the same item, she is less likely to buy it.”
6. Stores jammed with merchandise may induce claustrophobia, while those that are too bare can cause agoraphobia. To counteract this, store often try to use the right scent.
7. Cooler temperatures indoors may lead to a more emotional style of decision making, while warmth contributes to a more analytical approach. In addition, Smith writes, “Consumers prefer spending money in stores with cool, blue-toned interiors over stores with warmer, orange-toned interiors, where they tend to be less enthusiastic and balk at high prices.”
8. Touch is important. “People are more likely to buy a high-quality item if they can handle it,” Smith writes.
9. Music is also important. The right genre can cause customers to lose track of time. And one study found that “popular music leads to impulsive decisions, while lesser-known background music leads to focused shoppers—ones who are, say, more likely to carefully process information about promotions,” writes Smith.

OK, you’ve been warned. So get prepared and put on some lesser-known background music.

Image from Creative Commons.