Bragging rights

Amy was Nashville nice, just so sweet you wanted to eat her up. Blond and bubbly, she sparkled as she told us about her shopping favorites. “I shop mostly at Stein Mart-” “Mostly?” Christi, Amy’s coworker said. “Amy would be naked if there weren’t a Stein Mart” and we couldn’t help but laugh.

“I always get compliments on the stuff I get there.” As we glanced one more time at her outfit, we took it all in. “Like this,” she grabbed her striped scarf, “$7 at Stein Mart.” Interesting that the $7 came first, did it validate it? “It’s like, if I get a compliment for something, I say, ‘guess how much I paid, you’ll never guess?!”.

Amy knows about every sale and every deal, she makes it her business to call the stores and ask. “I’ve got it down, I beat the system.” For Amy it was as much about getting what she wanted, as it was about how good a deal she got. When she got a compliment, it was important that she have something extra to add, something to prove that she knew something that we didn’t.

Opportunity: Everyone wants a reason to feel good, to boast a little. Give them a reason to brag.