I was at the mall yesterday with my wife, as we had stopped by to get some lunch in the food court while on the way to our favorite grocery store.
On the way out, this Deja Vu cosmetics sales rep held out a free sample packet of moisturizer or something. He held it out to me and I figured I might as well try it.
Oooh, let me see your hands.
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What’s the harm in that?
Ah, what is your name?
He doesn’t need to know my name, but he can look at my hands.
Oh, and your name?
Stuart. Darn, I made a personal connection. If I left abruptly right then and there I would be impolite.
He then proceeded to use a multiple-stage buffing block on my right thumb nail. The last time anyone buffed my nail was maybe 6-8 years ago when my younger cousins were visiting in Brooklyn.
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Ah, this does so-and-so, this layer is so silky, blah blah, you will be surprised, voila.
And my nail was buffed shiny. Wow. I am so surprised. A progression of various grits on my nail mechanically polished it smooth. (Sarcasm.)
Ooh, this prevents breakage, chipping, blah blah.
BS. Buffing makes your nail surface smoother and shinier.
Then he did the same to my wife’s nail, but a little quicker. She played with her smooth nail a couple of times later that day.
Oh, and this will do blah blah blah.
He applied a nail oil to my cuticle area, and it actually did make it softer-feeling and healthier-looking. My cuticles always look dry, rough, and cracked.
Wow, and look at this –
He then rubber moisturizer into the top of my left hand. Yes it was a little weird.
This normally sells for $59.99, but for you, $29.99.
Wow, an immediate 50% discount. What a bargain. (More sarcasm.) I liked the oil, my wife liked how the moisturizer made my hands less dry, and I liked how the moisturizer was water-based and not at all greasy.
The products are made in Israel, and although I am familiar with Ahava Dead Sea products, I have never heard of Deja Vu.
We did like the products, so I offered a $20, and he immediately agreed. I figured that I could have talked him to $15, but it wouldn’t have been worth the hassle, and I felt $20 was appropriate for the 3-piece buffer, nail oil, and moisturizer package. There’s a 98% chance that I will never use any of it without my wife’s prompting, but that’s okay. Maybe she’ll use it.
If you’re thinking of making a snide remark about how I got suckered into buying cosmetics, join the club.
But to be honest, I was in need of something a little milder than O’keeffe’s hand cream (which runs $7 on Amazon). In winter, the combination of dry air and use of abrasive hand cleaners is brutal on my skin. I switched to a new hand cleaner that doesn’t have petroleum distillates or d-limonene, but it still does a number on my skin.
I suppose my wife and I will both use the cuticle oil, my wife will probably use the hand moisturizer, and I’ll use the buffer bar as a metal or plastic polishing block. Seriously – what else could I realistically use a nail buffer for? *Rolls eyes at the situation.*
So here’s what happened:
- I was baited with a free sample
- The sales rep created a friendly personal connection
- “Try me now” sampling session demonstrated results
- The sales rep emphasized the value of the package
- I was guided into buying something I didn’t know I needed
So why am I telling you all this? Not because I’m a glutton for ridicule, but because the same tactics are used to sell tools and other products all the time, especially during the holiday season when everyone’s defenses might be down.
You’re a pro? Great, we designed this tool especially for pros. You’re a DIYer? Great, we have just the thing! Everything from product packaging to sales floor displays are designed to convince you that certain products are designed especially for your needs. The more relatable a product, the more likely you are to give it stronger consideration.
“Try me now” packaging, in-store displays, and demos are designed to show you benefits. This is how I was led to believe Kobalt’s new Magnum Grip locking pliers and Triple Cut cutters were potentially handy and innovative new products.
You will trust something you see with your own eyes. Unfortunately, try me displays aren’t as popular as they used to be. I can’t remember a time in recent years when any of the local big box stores had power tool demo stations that were manned or equipped with working tools.
That “$60 value tool kit” is not worth $60. Black Friday and was pricing tend to be misleading as well.
Ultimately, the best defense against impulse purchases and marketing manipulation is to keep your wits about you. But even in the case of the nail cosmetics, so many psychological tools were used against me that I gave in. To be fair, I knew what was happening, my wife knew what was happening, and yet we both still spiralled into allowing ourselves to be convinced into buying something we didn’t know we even needed.
P.S. I have hardly used the sea salt hand scrub I bought 2 years back. I’m over pumice as well, and mainly use something with walnut shells.
Jerry
If your hands get rough and dry, get a $8 little tub of udder cream. It was developed years ago for dairy farmers who had to milk cows in all weather. Works well, and is far more manly than foo-foo stuff, LOL.
http://www.amazon.com/Udderly-Smooth-Udder-Cream-Moisturizer/dp/B00027CGWQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1383761029&sr=8-1&keywords=Udder+cream
Allen
Hey, I thought I was the only one who used that. My wife even uses some once in a while, it’s pretty good, and lasts a long time.
Javier
I like how he says “This normally sells for $59.99, but for you, $29.99.”
Jerry
When someone tells me that, and im feeling onery, sometimes I say I ‘normally’ would pay $9.99, but for you, I’d go $19.99.
Phil
The Softer Syde of ToolGuyd! 😉
I have a friend who works as a cosmetics salesman in a Saks store in NYC. He must be very good at what he does, because not only is he the star employee in that store (and is paid very well as additional proof) he knows so much of what he sells and how beneficial it can be, especially for guys whose idea of “product” is Gojo, Lava, Head and Shoulders and Dial (guilty). Many years ago my mother used these body scrubbers that looked like knotted up onion bags. These were marketed almost exclusively to women, and she told me how well it worked and how good it felt to use. I was an early convert. I could never convince any of my friends of this, as all I got were raised eyebrows and questions regarding my manhood. It didn’t take long until the personal care industry discovered they could sell similar products for me that women have been using all along provided they made the stuff look like something meant to use on your car and smelled roughly of Old Spice. The various stuff shown to me by my cosmetics buddy actually filled various “needs” I had no idea which had solutions I never knew existed. If you are willing to have an open mind and discover new things, you’ll find out life can be made a bit more comfortable in these regards. After all, when it comes to tools and hardware, we just love finding out about new gear and supplies that make life easier. Think about it, the Snap-On truck is nothing more than a big Mary Kay Cadillac with different contents and livery. It’s a Tupperware party of tools. And far too many men have an affinity for their favorite brand of camo adorning half the stuff they own that goes beyond some women’s rabid loyalty to their favorite brand of shoes, clothing, cosmetics or handbags. Don’t try to deny it either.
It doesn’t need to go so far as to need a nail color to match your favorite power tools. Milwaukee Red would be fabulous alongside that new Fuel impact wrench, though. 😉
Informed
“Think about it, the Snap-On truck is nothing more than a big Mary Kay Cadillac with different contents and livery. ”
Exactly
By no means am I an expert, but I’ve noticed that the world of fashion/cosmetics (which has been steadily explained to me over the years by various women in my life) is very much a gender-swapped mirror image of the world of tools and gear.
There’s more emphasis on form and aesthetic in that world, but the behavior and market segmentation is very much the same.
When I scored a Metabo angle grinder for 50% off, I had to explain my joy to my girlfriend in these terms: “Honey, think of it as the Prada handbag of power tools”.
Mac
Along the lines of Udder Cream… Bag Balm. Vets (docs not GIs) and old timers swear by it.
My step mother is in the make up business, and is constantly on me about my (lack of) skin care, mainly sun damage. She’s 100% right.
Informed
I once had a pretty girl selling those products approach me. Being the single guy I was, I let her go on with the pitch, and before I know it, she grabs my hands and starts to do the whole buffing thing one of my nails. At this point, I started thinking of ways to get out of the situation, and quickly delivered a terse “I appreciate the offer, but I have to go” response and got going. 30 seconds later, I look down at the nail she was buffing, and it’s smooth and shiny, as if it had gotten a fresh layer of clearcoat. I don’t know about you guys, but I do not like the idea of having shiny, girly nails (even just one), so I had a bit of a freak out. I immediately headed outside to find some concrete, and proceeded to dull that shiny finish as quickly as I could. It worked, and my nail was soon back to normal.
Moral of the story: beware of pretty girls at mall kiosks, especially if they grab your hands.
Nevertheless, this article has a good point. Be aware of the tactics deployed to get you to buy something you don’t need. I admit I’m a huge fan of Black Friday, but I always advise people to be aware of the fake deals and never buy something you won’t use.
One golden rule for determining if something is a deal or not is by going online and doing a quick price survey. For big ticket items, a product review survey is also a must. Once you get an idea of what street pricing is and what product owners think, you can be confident that you made the right decision.
Anthony
i got sucked in by a deja-vu rep,but in my case she was a hot foreign girl…i couldnt resist
Mer
Deja vu Dead Sea minerals cuticle oil is the BEST cuticle oil in the whole wide world! I’ve been using it for years & cannot purchase it anywhere!!! Nothing works as well & i’m almost frantic …
Sandra Thompson
Same scenario lol, my defenses were down and I was vulnerable. Just off of a overnight shift, sleep deprived! The sales rep for deja vu was so nice I fell right into her trap, I was an easy victim lol.