Well, this should steam your shorts

Car rating site Edmunds.com hired a reporter, then immediately sent him out to sell cars, then write about it:

We hired Chandler Phillips, a veteran journalist, to go undercover by working at two new car dealerships in the Los Angeles area. First, he would work at a high-volume, high-pressure dealership selling Japanese cars. Then, he'd change over to a smaller car lot that sold domestic cars at "no haggle" prices.

Phillips, being a human being (as opposed to being a car salesman) had his misgivings about the whole thing:

Could I really do this? Could I really become a — a car salesman? Me, a law abiding middle-aged American. A — gasp — college graduate (well, barely). A writer. A person sometimes described as soft spoken and reserved? Why was I applying for a job in one of the most loathed professions in our society?

The story starts here. I got halfway into page 2 before becoming outraged at how they manipulate people, but I will finish the whole thing.

- via Making Light