The Issue
In his chapter, Cialdini highlights the Scaricity Principle – the idea that we value something when it is in higher demand or when there is a challenge to obtain it.
Major Strength
As usual, Cialdini does a great job giving “real world” examples. Between the car sales comparison and the cookie study, the reader can relate to these examples when making a purchase decision or a choice decision in their own lives. When I read Cialdini’s section on censorship, that we tend to want to receive information more when it’s banned than when it’s not, I was reminded of an example from my own experience last week. I had read about an episode of Dateline or 20/20 (can’t remember) that sounded interesting to watch, but it had already aired. I went to the show’s website to watch it online expecting to be able to see it for free. But when I pressed play, I was redirected to a screen that asked me to put in my name and password for my cable provider. Currently renting from a landlord who manages the cable, I did not have this information and thus couldn’t watch the show. Even though it was just a mini documentary, I found myself wanting to watch it more when I saw it was restricted.
Cialdini also gives an example of the scarce beef supply. It made me think of whenever there is an upcoming bad storm and people run out to the store and clear the shelves of bread and milk. Do you REALLY need bread and milk when you’re trapped inside your house? Personally, I would prefer boxed food with preservatives to milk that could go sour or bread that could mold if I’m in my house without electricity for days. It’s just the idea that people HAVE to go buy bread and milk because they will all run out that makes those products appealing to buy.
Major Weakness
Like a few before me have said, I think Cialdini could have done more to talk about the morality of these situations. Sure, telling a customer that a product has sold out in order to increase desire for it and then telling them “maybe there’s one more left” may work, but at what cost is lying worth the sell? We definitely all do it, but it would have been interesting to read more about what the moral or ethical implications of these decisions would be and get some real world examples.
Underlying Assumption
It seems like Cialdini’s discussion in this chapter is fairly black and white – we want something more when it is in larger demand or smaller quantity. It may not be something we think about consciously but whether it is a purchase decision or even a personal relationship (the Romeo and Juliet example), we want something more when others want it as well or it is unattainable.
Provocative Questions
What are the moral implications of misleading a customer in terms of scarcity when it comes to making a sell?
Would there be different results in a study like the cookie example if other factors were taken into account? What if the cookies in the jar of two were stale and the cookies in the full jar were fresh? Would the scarcity principle still be relevant?