Having entered our age of self-absorption, all manner of social phenomena have appeared that would have been incomprehensible only a few years ago. It is now common for prospective customers to enter high-end clothing stores and try on designer apparel, not with the intent to buy but in order to take selfies they can later post to their social media pages.
Is this case different from the previous case, since it is motivated solely for ego gratification rather than mental health? Or is it the same, since retailers know that trying on clothes leads to sales and customer experience leads to customer loyalty?
Grapple with the Gray
List two or three reasons why it is acceptable to try on the clothes.
List two or three reasons why it is unacceptable to try on the clothes.
Is there another alternative?
Having weighed the options, what would you do?
Gray Matters
Are these last two scenarios the same, or are they different?
Yes, and yes.
From the point of view of the retailer, the more time a shopper spends in the store, the better, even if that shopper came in with no intention to buy. Moreover, when other shoppers see a customer trying on inventory, they are more likely to try something on themselves.
So from the point of view of the retailer, there’s no problem at all trying on the latest fashions to make yourself look better on your Facebook page.
That being said, when we treat other people as tools for our own gratification, we incrementally chip away at the foundations of our own humanity. By using another person’s place of business as a means of indulging my own ego, we increase our predisposition for treating people like things in other situations.
You might begin by asking yourself what kind of people you want to impress by showing yourself off in name-brand clothes. And if you absolutely must take the selfie, at least you should ask permission from the shopkeeper—who will almost certainly permit it. With the minimal effort of asking permission, you eliminate the attitude of deception and entitlement that are so corrosive to the content of your character.
When my daughter was in high school, she and a friend were perusing the racks in a local clothing store when a saleswoman offered them a gift if they would try on a new brand of jeans. They declined, explaining that, as Orthodox Jews, they wear only skirts and dresses. The salesperson persisted, saying that they could help her out, since she received a bonus for every customer who tried on a pair of jeans.
Clearly, the promoters did not care why customers tried on the jeans; in their minds, it was all a numbers game. Since my daughter and her friend were entirely up-front, there was nothing unethical about them trying on the jeans and accepting the gift.