The article discusses the use of persuasive techniques by hustlers, who sell products to customers using exaggerated claims and hyperbolic promises. The term “huckster” originally referred to legitimate sellers of low-end goods, but now has a negative connotation. The article advises consumers to be aware of the tricks used by street vendors and to separate the wheat from the chaff when shopping.
As the late comedian George Carlin once observed, if you put two things together that have never been nailed together before, sooner or later someone is going to buy it. Most likely, the person actually selling it would be considered a cheater. A street vendor is essentially selling products you don’t need for a problem you didn’t know you had, at a price you can’t afford. The reason you buy it anyway is the exhibition and seduction behind the sales pitch. A good hustler is a consummate salesman who can sell products and services to virtually anyone.
A prime example of a cheater at work can be found in radio and television advertising. Hustlers can star in well-crafted commercials, selling everything from steam cleaners to miracle laundry detergents to colon cleansing programs. They can use personal testimonials from satisfied customers, interviews with experts, and live demonstrations to get viewers to buy their products, preferably within the next thirty minutes. A street vendor knows that he has only a short window of opportunity to make an impulse sale before the prospect calms down and reconsiders the purchase.
The term hustler is often used negatively to describe an unscrupulous pitcher who will say or do anything, legal or illegal, to close the deal. A hustler’s products may fall short of the exaggerated claims and hyperbolic promises of the salesperson’s enthusiastic sales pitch. The stereotypical image of a used car salesman in a plaid jacket touting the “perks” of a lemon car or a local appliance store owner cranking out frantic “Crazy Joe with Insane Price!” TV commercials would be considered familiar forms of cheating.
While modern shoppers may have a dubious opinion of hucksters, the term originally referred to legitimate sellers of low-end goods. While the actual etymology is unclear, the word huckster is believed to be related to an old Dutch word, hokester. An original peddler during the Middle Ages would have been a vendor who set up his station in the town square and sold goods, as opposed to a peddler, who carried his inventory on his back and sold door to door.
The all-too-frequent use of slick pitchers and glittering generalities to sell products and services has led to a public aversion to the practice of cheating. Political campaigns often use the same advertising techniques to sell their candidates to voters, building their “product” with fanciful but largely unverifiable claims and deliberate exaggerations of the truth.
An effective cheater uses a variety of persuasive techniques to convince potential customers of their need for the product or service. One popular technique is the direct action approach. Once the product has been proven to be safe, effective, healthy, time saving, cost effective and/or a great Christmas gift, the next step for the customer is to take action and order it now. This direct action advertising technique exploits the customer’s fear that the product will never be available at this price again and must be purchased immediately.
A street vendor may be selling a perfectly acceptable product or peddling rubbish, but the principle is the same for each scenario; sell the sizzle, not the steak. It’s up to consumers to separate the wheat from the chaff when it comes to shopping, so it’s worth knowing the tricks of the trade favored by street vendors everywhere.
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