This Pop-Up Shop Charges Men More Than It Does Women

This pop-up shop hopes to bring awareness to wage inequality with a unique pricing strategy.

As pointed out by Patricia Arquette’s passionate Oscars speech this year, the gender pay gap is still a very real issue in our country. According to reports released in 2015, women working full-time bring in 78 cents for every dollar a man makes on average, despite factors like education, skill level, or experience. It’s a sad, shitty truth that has sparked countless protests and awareness campaigns, the latest of which is a unique pop-up shop that requires male customers to pay more than women.

The Pittsburgh-based store, called 76<100, was founded by Elana Schlenker, a woman who wanted to bring attention to wage inequality by charging women only 76 percent of the retail price, while guys are required to pay it in full.

"It's incredible how deeply unconscious biases still permeate the ways in which we perceive (and value) women versus men,” Schlenker told Refinery 29. “I hope the shop's pricing helps to underscore this inherent unfairness and to create space for people to consider why the wage gap still exists."

In addition to giving women discounts, the not-for-profit shop also sells merchandise made by independent female designers, who create everything from ceramics to jewelry to art prints. And if you think the participating businesses are getting ripped off by the discounts, you should know that the products were sold to the shop at wholesale prices, and that 100 percent of the profits are returned to the creators. 

It’s a pretty cool concept that does much more than supply consumers with goods. If all goes as planned, Schlenker will take the pop-up shop around the country, changing the prices to reflect each state’s specific wage gap. So depending on your location, your girl could score some major deals.

To learn more about Schenkler and her mission, head to LessThan100.org.

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