Teaching Wedding Rules

Abstract

Salespeople must educate their customers and teach them to be good consumers of products. To maximize sales and minimize potential problems, salespeople must also develop strategies to control their customer's behavior. To examine the “generic social process” of gaining control over customers, the author focuses on the bridal shop to show how workers attempt to establish themselves as professionals. In the world of bridal wear, workers and brides must maintain extensive contact over many months. Bridal workers strive to gain control over their brides' behavior by presenting a professional self. By establishing familiarity with their clients and demonstrating their expertise, bridal workers can give orders to their customers and chastise them when they deviate from appropriate behavior without fear that the customer will not return.