Unbeknownst to the volunteers, Martin also sent in two confederates — both relatively attractive people in their mid-30s — to casually brush up against half of the volunteers as they were looking at the purse. Martin made sure his helpers understood they were to blend in with the shoppers in the store and to only lightly brush past the volunteers, touching just the shoulder area.
Martin kept track of how long each of his volunteers was in the store. He also had them fill out a questionnaire that asked what the volunteers thought of the store and how much they thought the purse should cost.
No matter whether volunteers were men or women, the ones who were bumped left the store much more quickly than those who’d shopped unhindered. Bumped people also were more likely to set a lower price for the purse and to give the store a bad rating in their evaluations.
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