THE THINGS THAT MOTIVATE
I got a phone call one day from a friend who owns an Indian jewelry store in Arizona. Something fascinating had just happened, and she thought that, as a psychologist, I might be able to explain it to her. Her story involved an allotment of turquoise jewelry that hadn’t sold. It was the peak of the tourist season, the store was unusually full of customers and the turquoise pieces were worth at least what she was asking; still, they hadn’t moved. My friend had tried calling attention to the pieces by shifting them to a more central display area, and had told her sales staff to push the items hard — all without success. Finally, just before leaving on a buying trip, she scribbled an exasperated note to her head saleswoman, “Everything in this display case, price X 1/2,” hoping just to be rid of the offending pieces, even at a loss. When she returned a few days later, every…
To view this resource, log in or sign up for a subscription plan
