Many dealers still assume that women know less about cars and do less price research than men-and thus can be pushed into paying more. Bill Bottom, an associate professor at Washington University s Olin School of Business who teaches a course in negotiations, says that expectations strongly influence the way a salesperson approaches female customers. One salesman justified a high markup to Heidi by praising the dealership s service department. Even automakers admit the sticker price is usually just wishful thinking. At one showroom, Joseph was given the invoice before he asked for it.
Women can t count on help from a saleswoman.
According to a recent study by market-research firm J.D. Power and Associates, women report higher customer satisfaction when buying a car from another female than from a male. Good luck finding one, though. Yet it might not have made a real difference in what we paid. In fact, because women expect a better deal from a woman, they might actually get a worse one. Eckel has conducted experiments on the subject with Phillip Grossman of Wayne State University.