Each twin was instructed to stand in noticeable area and not ask for help. Each department in each store was given 10 minutes to respond, and serve a twin. In total, when Dimension added up time spent in the four stores, Nordstrom's was the fastest to respond, followed by Bloomingdale's, Macy's and Dayton's, respectively. Nordstrom's fared best in each of its departments, and it treated the twin shoppers nearly equally. Bloomingdale's came in a close second, while Macy's and Dayton's took about twice as long to help the underdressed Joy as it did Joyce.
Stores spend big bucks advertising their phone number.
Five times Circuit City stores disconnect the Dimension caller. At Target, seven out of nine times the clerk pointed to the item, while the other two times they walked the shopper to the item. Dimension showed its findings to University of Minnesota professor Akshay Rao, who wasn't surprised. In discount stores, you should look for help because it probably won't come looking for you, and that's not much help if you're lost. So keep asking.