I was at Lowes today with my son buying a new faucet for the bathroom when a guy tried to scam me. He was a young guy, short hair, wearing some team’s sports jersey. I don’t know why he thought I’d be an easy mark. He came close to me and my shopping cart and, in a low voice, like he had a valuable secret to share, asked if I would do him a favor. His wife was waiting outside, and they were low on gas, and he was in a hurry, so would I mind buying my stuff with this gift card he had? He showed it to me.

I said “no” before he had a chance to go into the whole sales pitch. I guess he was about to tell me that he had $40 or $60 or something on the gift card and I could have it for the cash. I would come out even or ahead — maybe he would’ve let the card go for only $20. Because he was in a rush and all. And I would give him the $20 and then, of course, when I went to pay, the cashier would tell me that the gift card was empty. I would be out my $20 or more, if the guy had convinced me to give him more. He’d be long gone by then.

I’m familiar with phishing and those e-mails purporting to be from a member of some royal family who will pay you thousands of dollars if only you give her your bank account information and had heard specifically about people who pull the gift card scam, and knew better than to fall for the guy’s routine, and said “no,” so the above scenario did not play out. But I wasn’t consciously thinking about any of this when I said “no.” It was an automatic response, or nearly automatic. When I said “no,” he replied “No?” Like he wanted to be sure, give me a last chance to take him up on his offer. Then he left, thanked me anyway.

Inside of a minute I was certain it was a scam and pissed that he would approach me while I was standing there with my son and try to swindle me out of my money. He wasn’t anywhere around — if he was even a reasonably smart crook, he would’ve left the store when he failed to get my money, since I was now a threat to him, could turn him in or call over an employee or beat him with a socket wrench from aisle four. I didn’t do any of those things when he first tried to scam me, was hardly thinking at all, which is how I think most people respond in these situations. The scammers count on it. Someone approaching you with a request, a well-rehearsed one, usually has the advantage. You’re not prepared for it.

Someone right in front of you asking you for something can affect your judgment — I don’t know what psychological or sociological explanations people have cooked up to explain it, but I do know that despite my “no” being automatic and despite my knowing better than to fall for the scam, there was a certain pressure that I felt to help this guy. In my case it was small and easily brushed aside, but I know that con men rely on that pressure to swindle people. How many of us have been flustered, unsure how to respond, or made a rash decision when confronted with a skilled salesperson or someone soliciting door-to-door? Some people have trouble saying “no,” hanging up on the telemarketer, or thinking clearly in these situations. 

Many companies know this. Empire Carpet does. They offer a better price if you say “yes” right then, at the first appointment in your home, and they tell you that the price will be higher if you don’t commit right away. Car salespeople earn higher commissions if they sell to you on your first visit. Lots of businesses function this way. The term “high-pressure sales tactics” exists for a reason. People can have a difficult time saying “no” when put on the spot. Extra incentives are often thrown in, adding to the pressure — lower prices, a free gift, whatever.

Of course, we are free to say “no,” and many people do. And the legal businesses offering extra incentives are not remotely the same as a guy trying to scam you. No one should beat the carpet salesperson with a socket wrench. They are not generally defrauding anyone, even though it bothers some people to know that not everyone pays the same price for the exact same product and service. Still, many people are happy with these services and informed consumers can do okay with a company like Empire Carpet. I am not claiming moral equivalence between someone trying to con you out of your money through outright deception and someone trying to get you to pay top dollar for a product or service and giving you their best sales pitch. But the most aggressive salespeople do rely to some extent on the same psychology as con artists.

I know that I am susceptible to it, so my policy is simply to say “no” to just about anything if I am unprepared. It’s an automatic response. I won’t do business with someone who tries to get me to commit right then unless I have done my research and know what I want and what is a good price. I don’t care how good the deal supposedly is. I want to think about it before I give an answer, shop around, be free from the impulse that makes for bad decisions. I won’t buy anything from someone knocking at my door uninvited. I don’t care if they’re selling girl scout cookies. Scammers and legitimate salespeople are relying on our impulse to take the path of least resistance and say “yes.” I’m on guard against it.

About Scott Stein

Tags: money, on the law //