| Summary: | This paper investigates how the activation of a customer stereotype affects salespersons’ interpersonal orientation in the context of luxury car purchases. The results of three complementary studies (observation in-situ, survey among luxury car clients, lab-experiment among apprentice-salespeople) indicate that status trumps gender; Gender-stereotypes are activated only when status is not, indicating the expectancy-based nature of sales stereotyping. Our research highlights the mechanism that leads to privileged behaviors: salespeople attribute a higher purchase budget to clients with visible signs of status. Addressing changes in customer orientation is particularly important in luxury retail settings where service excellence is a priority. © 2019 Elsevier Ltd
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