Adam's Apple
Senior Member
- Apr 25, 2004
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Obese Shoppers Get Heavy Dose of Rudeness
By Bill Hendrick, Cox News Service
April 11, 2005
ATLANTA -- Salesclerks are often turned off by obese women customers and not only are rude to them but curt -- hurrying sales and avoiding eye contact, according to a new study.
One conclusion: Rude behavior is likely to backfire.
"Shoppers who felt they were slighted by sales personnel indicated they spent less money in the store," said Eden King, an author of the Rice University. "Also, the greater the extent to which customers perceived they were the victims of interpersonal discrimination, which included a general sense of hostility and unfriendliness, the less likely they were to plan to return to that store."
The researchers used average-weight women who, in some cases, carried out sales transactions as they normally appeared -- but at other times wore padding that made them appear obese.
Observers lurked nearby and jotted down notes about interactions between shoppers and clerks. And the shoppers recorded interactions with clerks on tiny tape recorders.
for full story
http://www.indystar.com/articles/9/235839-9219-047.html
I have done some volunteer work in our local schools, and the treatment of obese children by their peers and school staff is heart-breaking. It's almost as if these children do not exist, they are so rudely ignored and left alone. This treatment by others only makes their problem much, much worse.
By Bill Hendrick, Cox News Service
April 11, 2005
ATLANTA -- Salesclerks are often turned off by obese women customers and not only are rude to them but curt -- hurrying sales and avoiding eye contact, according to a new study.
One conclusion: Rude behavior is likely to backfire.
"Shoppers who felt they were slighted by sales personnel indicated they spent less money in the store," said Eden King, an author of the Rice University. "Also, the greater the extent to which customers perceived they were the victims of interpersonal discrimination, which included a general sense of hostility and unfriendliness, the less likely they were to plan to return to that store."
The researchers used average-weight women who, in some cases, carried out sales transactions as they normally appeared -- but at other times wore padding that made them appear obese.
Observers lurked nearby and jotted down notes about interactions between shoppers and clerks. And the shoppers recorded interactions with clerks on tiny tape recorders.
for full story
http://www.indystar.com/articles/9/235839-9219-047.html
I have done some volunteer work in our local schools, and the treatment of obese children by their peers and school staff is heart-breaking. It's almost as if these children do not exist, they are so rudely ignored and left alone. This treatment by others only makes their problem much, much worse.
