A shill (or plant) is a confederate who plays a specific role in tricking customers to behave in a certain way.
People involved:
(1) one or more people making a pitch or proposal (pitchman or hawker)
(2) one or more confederates or accomplices planted in the crowd (shill)
The shill pretends to be a member of a crowd. If no one responds to a proposal from the pitchman, then the shill rushes forward in a dramatic fashion to make a purchase. As a result someone else may come forward, which in turn may induce others to participate.
Factors making a shill's job easier:
(1) The crowd has been stirred up.
(2) People in the crowd are intoxicated.
(3) More than 1 shill is present.
(4) The shill is not recognized as such.
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