Question

Do you ever walk out of the store with sacks full of things that were not on your shopping list? If so, you’re not alone. Just last week, I went to the grocery store for a loaf of bread, and came out with the bread, an attractively packaged kitchen gizmo from a display near the entrance, and two magazines from the checkout. A week later, and the gizmo is lying unused, still in its original packaging, in my kitchen drawer. (Congratulations to the professionals who designed the packaging, since it’s the only explanation for my purchase!) I’m sure you have similar stories to share. Every day, consumers like you and me are tricked by crafty marketers into buying things they don’t need.
2 You might be wondering: How do marketers entrap me when they are not present in the store? Savvy marketers don’t have to be there physically in order to manipulate you. They act covertly and use a variety of psychological strategies to achieve their devious aims. Many of these involve manipulation of your experience of a store.
3 Stores are not sterile environments: They are dense with sounds, scents, textures, colors—all with the potential to dazzle or lure. Marketers take advantage of this potential, deploying sensory stimuli tied to specific emotional responses. For example, marketers working for a mall in Asia sprayed baby powder in the baby clothes aisles and fruit scents in the produce section. Guess what happened? Sales in both of those departments increased.
4 Marketers can get you before you even enter a store. Consider television commercials, which have been influencing American consumers since 1941. Some of them are fun and memorable—you might find yourself enjoying them, whether or not you are interested in the products they advertise. There’s this one commercial from my childhood that never fails to crack me up; whenever my sister imitates it, I am in stitches. But by mixing entertainment with advertising, marketers build associations that may lead you to buy their products. Marketers hope that when you watch a commercial that, for example, shows a group of people having a great time, you are forming what psychologists call a subconscious belief: If I buy that brand, then I’ll be happy, too. You might never become aware of this association—but it might come into play when choosing which brand to buy.
5 How can we stop marketers from manipulating us? There is probably no way to stop it completely. However, since my shopping trip last week, I have added a new routine whenever I am at a store: I take a mindful pause before approaching the register. It has already helped me spot things in my cart that I don’t need. Just yesterday, I put that magazine back in the rack, not on the belt! So, next time you are at a store, think before you swipe! Review the reasons you chose what you are buying. You may be surprised to discover that, after a little reflection, you have changed your mind.


The following question has two parts. Answer Part A first, and then Part B.

Part A

Which set of details is most important to the author's argument?
A. The author discusses the history of commercials as well as a theory explaining how commercials influence consumers.
B. The author describes the environment in various types of stores, giving examples of striking sensory details.
C. The author gives an example of the influence of marketing on her purchases as well as of her attempts to resist that influence.
D. The author discusses several types of tactics marketers use to influence purchases, giving examples of each type.
Part B

What central idea does the set of details identified in Part A most clearly support?
A. Marketers can influence consumers even before they enter a store.
B. Marketers employ manipulative methods to get consumers to buy products.
C. Consumers often lack the ability to think rationally about purchases.
D. It is impossible for consumers to completely resist marketing ploys.

Answer 1

Part A: D.
- The passage’s main support consists of descriptions of multiple marketing tactics (in-store sensory cues, product displays, TV commercials) with examples.

Part B: B.
- Those details most directly support the idea that marketers employ manipulative methods to get consumers to buy products.