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Customer service as a function of shopper's attire
Pamela C Regan1, Veronica Llamas
1Department of Psychology, California State University, Los Angeles 90032-8227, USA. pregan@calstatela.edu
Psychological Reports
|March 20, 2002
Summary
A female shopper's clothing style significantly impacts customer service. Formal attire led to quicker employee attention compared to informal gym wear, showing appearance influences treatment.
Area of Science:
- Social Psychology
- Consumer Behavior
Background:
- Appearance significantly influences social perception and interpersonal treatment.
- Customer service interactions are often guided by implicit biases and first impressions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of a female shopper's attire on the customer service received.
- To determine if formal versus informal clothing impacts employee approach time.
Main Methods:
- A field experiment was conducted in women's clothing stores.
- A confederate posed as a shopper, alternating between formal work attire and informal gym clothes.
- The time until an employee approached and acknowledged the confederate was recorded as the dependent variable.
Main Results:
- Employees approached the confederate significantly faster when she was dressed in formal work attire.
- Informal gym attire resulted in a longer acknowledgment time from store employees.
Conclusions:
- A shopper's clothing, specifically formal versus informal attire, demonstrably influences the speed and quality of customer service received.
- Appearance is a critical factor in how individuals are evaluated and treated in retail environments, affecting service delivery.