Does how you dress affect your customer service experience? This was the topic for our blog assignment this week. After an hour at the gym, I stopped by a cell phone dealer. In my car I put on a “wife beater” t-shirt, stained jeans, and muddy shoes. I stepped into the store and pretended to be interested in acquiring a new cell phone. The salesman quickly escorted me to the low end cell phones, and introduced me to the cheaply priced calling plans.

A couple hours later I returned to the store. However, this time I was dressed in shiny black shoes, a crisply ironed shirt, and a power tie. So where did the salesman take me this time? You guessed it, he b-lined it straight to the smart phones. I was never offered a cell phone that offered a rebate, or was priced less than $100 dollars.

While driving back home, I pondered if this is unacceptable discrimination. I believe that it is not. The salesmen were making judgments about my employment, and were tailoring their marketing skills around my different profiles. If I were interested in a particular cell phone, all I need to do is ask.