Final answer:
The technique used in this scenario is the Foot-in-the-door technique, where a person is asked to agree to a smaller request first before a larger request is made.
Step-by-step explanation:
The persuasion technique used in this scenario is Foot-in-the-door. The foot-in-the-door technique involves getting a person to agree to a small request or favor, with the intention of later making a larger request. In this case, Gabriel first asked his friend to drive him home to Xenia, which is a bigger favor. When she refused, he then scaled down the request and asked her to drive him down the street to Kroger, which is a smaller favor. By saying yes to the smaller request, Gabriel's friend is now more likely to comply with a bigger request in the future.