Why Consumers May Feel Awkward When You Give Them Gifts

A majority of retail managers said in a survey that they thought customers would be more satisfied getting perks and bonuses in public than in private, but a team led by Lan Jiang of the University of Oregon shows that's not so: Consumers have mixed emotions when others see them get unearned rewards, such as a cartload full of groceries for being the millionth shopper. It takes the presence of just one other person for the rewardee to start feeling negatively judged, the researchers say. Those mixed feelings dissolve, however, if the observers have higher status than the recipient.