Meat Market

Meat Market: A business that treats its customers as merely a means to an end running roughshod over their needs and sensitive. Business practices here is not governed by the principle of social give and take. It is mostly take. "Give," is only grudgingly offered.

     A typical meat market might spends unusually large sums of money on advertising, offering the symbols of service and got products but delivering bad service and poor quality merchandise. It might be a business that is selling "hip," "elite," or "sophisticated."  Here, struggle between the customer and the business is ever present. The social language between client and business is twisted and one must learn quickly its intricacies to get adequate service.

A high advertising budget does not necessarily mean a business is a meat market. There may be other reasons for what they do. 1. The business is a start up looking for rapid growth, 2. A business that has faced a financial down term and is trying to hang on to good employees and will not criticize them or fire them. The employees abuse the customers. 3. A business aggressively "playing by the numbers" and carry on business insensitive to the needs of their customers.  In any case, when you have a situation where you have poor service and bad product or service the business is probably a "meat market."

     Some of the signs of a meat market are pressure tactics during a sale, leading the customer to false expect ions, puffery, intimidation, over powering the customer, arm twisting, threats and outright lying. Large and expensive ads brings to the business an increase in naive shoppers.  A predictable number of these customers are "marks," that is people who are easily deceived and make judgments based on appearances. 'Regulars' have an advantage in this environment.

Playing the Numbers
Struggle
Predatory Business Tactics