When I was younger, I worked at a small department store in North Dakota. It was my first job actually. I remember, specifically, my first day stocking soda in the fridge.
At the time, I didn’t think much of it. I headed over to the refrigerated case and started loading cans into the empty rows.
Before I got too far in the job, the manager who hired me walked up and gave me more detailed instructions, “When you stock shelves, always put the label facing out. It looks nicer and neater, and customers are more likely to buy if they can see the name of the product.”
It was a simple selling technique. So simple, that even a first-day, minimum-wage, high school student could figure it out. And yet, it was designed for one reason: to make a sale.
Earlier this week, I happened to walk past a large clothing store. On the window of the store, in as large a print as possible, the store was advertising their semi-annual clearance sale (60% off every item in the store).
When I entered another store down the street, I was immediately met with soft music and shelves upon shelves of color-matched items with smaller signs announcing the sale price on each of them.
And I was reminded, in that moment, almost everything in this world is designed to sell you something. From the smallest detail to the highest executive decision, stores are designed to part you with your money.
No detail is overlooked.
The signage on the outside and the inside of the building—designed to get you to buy.
The original price, the sale price, the limited time offer—designed to get you to buy.
The smells, the sounds, the colors, the free samples —designed to get you to buy.
The items placed at eye level, the items displayed on mannequins, the items placed at the very back of the grocery store—all designed intentionally to get you to buy. Even the exact layout of your local mall.
Even the refund policy is designed to get you to spend more.
The brand credit card, the rewards card, the loyalty punch card—designed to get you to buy.
The payment options, the financing, the warranty—designed to get you to buy.
And the list continues.
Even worse, these strategies are utilized by far more than retail brick-and mortar stores. Restaurants use them. Grocery stores use them. Gas stations, service technicians, your favorite sports team, podcasts, streaming services, even your favorite free-to-download app.
As do websites of every size. Just yesterday I received several emails inviting me to attend a webinar on “Amazing One-Hour Webinar on the Small Tweaks your Website Needs to Become a Money-Making Machine.” Something tells me even that webinar intended to sell me something.
Everywhere we go, it seems, is designed to sell us something and get us to part with our money.
I fear, however, we don’t even need to enter these stores to be bombarded with their strategies anymore.
Billboards, junk mail, and email newsletters contribute volume to the already noisy world of ads we see every day. Each designed to encourage your purchase… or get you in their store where their other sales techniques can further the work and persuasion.
There are some practical steps we can take to be sold to less, such as not walk into these stores unless necessary I suppose.
But we’re never going to avoid it altogether—and we’re probably not going to change society to the point where this no longer exists.
However, we can become more aware of it. We can get better at recognizing when it is happening. And we can learn the tactics retailers employ to sell us something so we don’t fall so easily into the temptation.
In so doing, we can keep some of that money around for more important pursuits than buying stuff we don’t need.
Lauren says
I think the point Joshua is making is to be more conscious of what we choose to spend our money on. If it is his books or the potato chips or the latest clothing fad or a lipstick or even a house that works. Society as we know it cannot exist without sales. People need things and people need to sell things. Selling things and buying things is what we do to support ourselves and each other. But bringing a sense of consciousness to it is something many of us need to work on. That’s extra work we voluntarily take on, and it takes much more effort than just mindlessly spending money.
Years ago, when I had returned to college I was able to talk the college (Antioch) into offering a class in nonverbal communication. They made it an elective, and I was thrilled that about a dozen other people signed up. The big assignment was to write a paper about NVC around a topic of your choice.
Everyone else chose human communication but I chose retail communication. On a Saturday I went to four different levels of stores that sold clothing: KMart, Ross Dress for Less, Macy’s and Nordstrom. I focused on things like parking, entrances, aisles, salesclerks, signage, colors, spacing, displays, customers’ behaviors, and more. I made a lot of notes and when I finally wrote my paper it turned out to be so interesting that I ended up with 38 typewritten pages. I had so much material I had to use 1/2-inch margins to get it done; the teacher wanted only about eight but she later told me she enjoyed the paper so much she read the whole thing twice. And that really began my lifelong interest in non-human NVC.
The history of advertising, stores, sales, products and so on is truly fascinating when read with an eye to consciousness. I have a number of books on those topics and related ones. And whenever I browse the Internet–I love interior design and home decor and read a lot about it as well as looking at things for sale online, particularly at holiday time–I am fully and consciously aware of the digital techniques. I rarely buy and never when I am just browsing. But I love it; it can be as lovely to me as a walk in nature always is.
Debb says
In declutterimg my books I found a vintage version of Aurora Dawn by Herman Wouk. I remembered what Joshua said that a book it’s just a stack of papers unless it’s read. I picked it up and didn’t put it down until I finished it. Had to laugh at chapter 13. Everything we needed to be aware of about marketing in a nutshell circa 1940.
joshua becker says
“Just a stack of papers unless it’s read.” One of my most less popular observations :)
Glad you found it helpful.
Steveark says
I hate to think how much advertising is wasted on me. I never impulse buy and always research products based on independent reviews. I don’t have a speck of brand loyalty and never go to a retail store or browse Amazon until I’m ready to purchase a specific item. Frankly, people who practice retail therapy or shop for entertainment confuse me just as much as people who go to casinos to gamble. I buy based on features and value, period.
joshua becker says
Nobody thinks advertising works on them.
Mark says
I say no to everything,
I live in a small trailer, with a florida room, I have no room,
I love it,
I only buy things i cherish, a guitar, a grill, etc.
Janet Miller says
After I was diagnosed with diabetes, what I noticed was how much sweet and high carb products were pushed in the grocery store. As soon as I walked in there were cakes and pies, chips and soda drinks. Breads and all the highly processed stuff that cause more health problems than people realize. The odd thing is I never really noticed this until after I was diagnosed and had to start thinking differently about the food I eat. Sometimes I think we are perhaps a little numb to the advertising and don’t really think about it while still being influenced by it. I have also worked in retail most of my working career and I’ve seen what retailers do to get people to buy, but it never really caught my attention until I had to make a course change in my life. Learning about minimalism has also been a great eye opener as well. Thanks Joshua.
Jonathan says
Very true and the first thing that popped into mind as I had to click the bottom of my email where it says … continue … which drags me to your page was he is trying to sell me something as well. EVERYONE it seems is trying to sell me something. Even if it is just their opinion to prove THEY are right … it is still selling me something. You are right this will never change. I try to be mindful of it where I observe it without judgement and recognize it for what it is worth. If there is something to learn then learn otherwise move on. Main thing is don’t stress about it and develop a set of guidelines to make sure you are buying something because you WANT TO buy it and no other reason! I still struggle with that one but working on it. Later!
AAK says
I’m sorry, I don’t get it. If the business requires to sell, what are they supposed to do? They’re in the business to sell goods and services. With all due respect, Joshua, you’re also selling: your books, courses, etc. So how’s that different? The nature of the item/service doesn’t change the fact that you’re selling as well.
Please respond.
Thanks.
joshua becker says
Thanks for the comment AAK. Of course a business is going to sell goods and services and advertise about what they have created. This post was just a realization of that fact and sometimes there are more important things we can do with our money. The container store, the candle store, the hospital, the author, the restaurant, the nonprofit, the casino, the political campaign, the grocery store, the airline, the coffee shop, the insurance agent, the television producer, the app developer, the landscaper, the gas station… all trying to part you with your money. This post wasn’t here to decide which of those are right or wrong, it was just to draw attention to the fact to make better decisions. Hope that helps.
Deb says
I think Joshua is trying to make the point that we should be aware of selling tactics before making a purchase. To make sure that the purchase is going to fill a specific need and not just satisfying an “emotional” want. The same holds true of his Uncluttered course – Becoming Minimalist has probably thousands of followers but probably only a small percentage of them opts to enroll in his course. But they perhaps see that they need an extra boost to accomplish their goal of simplifying their lives. Most of us only have a finite amount of money to spend on nonessentials, so it makes sense for us to really think about the best use of financial resources.
Kate says
Well said and fair!
Accidentally Retired says
Yep. This is also true of the news and media sites. They are there to drive views, clicks, etc. to garner as many eyeballs as possible, so that advertisers can sell you something. Local news, national news, right/left leaning, it makes no matter…
Susie says
Let’s be honest, this also applies to your own emails announcing your Uncluttered course. It may be a soft sell, but it’s still trying to part us with our money.
Renske says
Exactly my thoughts :)
AAK says
Ditto! I’m sorry, I didn’t read this first before commenting below.
Dawn says
I am self-employed and make and sell hand dyed yarn. I have to use these tactics to sell items to make a living. If I didn’t use some of these ways to make sales, I would go out of business. I understand the idea that we are often parting with too much of our money and acquiring more things than we need. Just saying there are two sides to any story.
Swissrose says
Which kind of begs the question, do we really need hand-dyed yarn – some will say yes (and it is lovely!) and others will say no. There are so many non-essentials, some of which we still like to have (if we knit or crochet or weave) but the awareness is still important. There are going to be limits to what I can use or store! Ads have their place of course, it more about critical thinking and assessment, buying with a purpose rather than just because ooh that’s pretty…
My opinion, of course.
Morolake says
Thank you for this relatable and well-written piece. I really appreciate the fact that you see the need to educate and create the needed awareness, so we do not get lost in the middle of the ‘silently loud’ retail world. There is nothing more crazy and annoying than the pressure and noise from these money-sucking businesses, coupled with the pressure we face in our personal lives. I am learning to live by – buying only what I need and not what I want! Also, I go to most stores with a list which I try as much as possible to stick to (I struggle though). It is a beautiful world out there, but the retail/business world will not let us be until we part ways with our money!
Thank you.
Tonya Hatfield says
This is so true! As a kid, our mom would allow us to have yard sales; even then, I learned really quickly that if I wiped the dust off an item and I arranged the items in an eye pleasing and organized fashion, I could sell a whole lot more! Thank you for this! It’s a great reminder of how I fell into the trap of acquiring all my ‘stuff!’ Im motivated even more now to divest myself of it!