If a retail worker recommends a round shape product to you, they might be calling you fat.
New research has found sales staff are more likely to recommend round products to obese or overweight customers, despite no evidence to suggest these customers actually prefer such products.
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Published in Society for Consumer Psychology journal, the study suggests subtle forms of prejudice are still active in the marketplace, despite strict discrimination laws.
In one experiment, an actress posing as a shopper asked for wristwatch and perfume product recommendations from 37 retail workers at a shopping mall.
Half of the time the actress appeared as her natural body size of 149cm and 46kg, while the other times she wore a prosthesis to make her look obese.
As predicted, the woman was recommended round watches and bottles when appearing obese, while more narrow products were suggested when she was thinner.
Other experiments found similar results, but Beth Vallen, one of the study's authors, said bigger customers don't necessarily prefer the round objects.
"Salespeople are using these inferences to drive recommendations, but this is not aligned to product preferences. This could result in less satisfaction," said Dr Vallen.
Newshub.