At Target the other day, I was patiently waiting in line to purchase my items of choice. In my hands, I had a pair of shoes and a new rug for my living room. While waiting, I found myself absent-mindedly staring around at all the products that fill the checkout line when I was approached by a barista – in Target! She had the tiniest Starbucks samples from the small Starbucks located within the store of a Cookies n’ Cream Mocha and asked me if I would like to try one – the cup alone was enough to lure me in. It was a sample size signature Starbucks cup that I couldn’t bring myself to pass up.

The sample itself was amazing, as most Starbucks creations are, and I couldn’t help but think that I needed another legitimate-sized mocha to bring home with me. While I was walking out of the store sipping on my Cookies n’ Cream Mocha, it occurred to me that I had just been bamboozled.

As a communications/journalism major, I hear about the power of suggestion on a regular basis, how consumers are locked into ridiculous purchases of things they don’t need all of the time. This face to face interaction with cross marketing incorporated with the power of suggestion has taught me that no matter how familiar you are with these tactics, everyone is susceptible.

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About Author: Alyssa Klein was born and raised in Rochester, NY and is an intern at Dixon Schwabl. After graduation she enrolled at Monroe Community College and earned an associate’s degree in communications/media arts. After that, she scurried on over to St. John Fisher College where she just recently graduated with a bachelor’s degree in communications/journalism and a minor in sociology. When not busy with school, her internship, and work, Alyssa likes to spend her free time attending live music shows. She’s pretty much a fan of every type of music, as cliché as that sounds. “Unfortunately I can’t sing well or play any instrument so I like to live vicariously through those who can.”