...and now we have 4 guinea pigs

So relatively recently, Lauren and I went to PetSmart to pick up more dry food for our 3 guinea pigs.  Of course we had to walk by the guinea pig display, filled with tiny, adorable piggie babies in order to get to the dry food.  As we walked by, Lauren noted that one of the guinea pigs was sitting outside the hutch while the others were inside the hutch sleeping.  This reminded us of our "first born", Adam who we decided to take home because the other guinea pigs were picking on him and wouldn't let him in the hutch.

Anyway, we continued to the dry food.  We picked out our brand and headed back up front.  The air was thick with compliance.

Lauren stopped at the display and the little guy was still sitting outside of the hutch.
She said "He's so tiny! Remember when Adam was that little?"
"Yep. Let's go."
"Maybe we should just watch for a while to see if the others will let him in the hutch."
Silence.
"He's so beautiful! Maybe we should hold him."
"Okay but we're not taking him home."

Long story short, we held him, named him, and took him home with us.

I don't know if that was Lauren's plan all along or if we're just guinea pig hoarders, but the foot-in-the-door technique was definitely used.  According to Cialdini (2007), the foot-in-the-door technique occurs when an individual makes a small, reasonable, seemingly innocent request (like looking at and holding a guinea pig).  Then the target is more likely to comply with the larger, intended request (like adopting a guinea pig).  Because I had already committed to interacting with Charlie, it was easier for me to agree to adopt him.

And now we have 4 guinea pigs.

Cialdini, R. B. (2007).  Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion.  New York: HarperCollins.