Dress to Impress; A common saying, used by many. You hear it in reference to dates, work, parties, etc. But how much of a difference of does “dressing to impress really make?” The truth is… a lot.
Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, from 9:00AM-2:00PM, I dress the part of a working professional for my internship. This is a far cry from the sweats and ponytail I sport for lacrosse practice, and lounging around.
Last Wednesday, I had a few errands to run after my internship. Instead of going home to change, like I typically do, I left on my work attire. I had no idea the influence this would have on the service I received while running my errands.
My first stop was Pellegrino’s where the workers are always friendly, but on Wednesday, they paid extra attention to me. They were calling me honey, and sweetie, and fighting over who would be making my sandwich. I have been to “Grino’s,” plenty of times, and this has never happened to me before. It was the usual workers taking my order and I was acting no different than I usually do. The only thing that was different was the way I was dressed.
My next stop was the bank, I walked in with my heels clicking loudly on the floor. I felt like everyone in the bank was staring at me. Not to toot my own horn, but I looked pretty good, and I’m pretty sure they were staring at me. I have been to the bank many times dressed in leggings or sweats, and let me tell you, the reaction is nowhere near the same.
After running a few more errands, and receiving similar reactions, I was feeling pretty confident but also curious as to whether or not anyone else had experienced anything like this. When I chatted with my mother later that day, she described a similar phenomenon with health care.
My mother explained to me that she had had a similar experience in the ER. My grandmother had taken a hard fall, and my mother had picked her up from work and taken her directly to the ER. My mother explained that when she arrived at the ER she received immediate and extensive assistance. She believed this was because she was dressed from work while everyone else in the waiting room was dressed in a less formal manner.
So what can we learn from these experiences? As shallow as it may be, appearance and presentation make a huge difference in the world we live in. If you want to be treated with respect and urgency, dress the part.