Final answer:
Tying sales involve a practice where a customer must buy one product to purchase another, which can force them to buy something they neither want nor need. This is deemed controversial, contrasting with bundling, which is typically more consumer-friendly.
Step-by-step explanation:
Since some customers have difficulty making a decision without assistance, asking customers to buy is considered a form of tying sales. Tying sales occur when a customer is required to buy one product only if they also buy a second product. This business practice is controversial for several reasons.
Firstly, it forces consumers to purchase a product they may not actually want or need, which is not advantageous to the customer. For instance, imagine a scenario where a store mandates that to purchase a popular DVD, you must also buy a certain model of a portable TV. Such a requirement is not customer-friendly because these products are only loosely related, and the customer may have no genuine need or preference for the particular TV model being tied to the DVD.
On the other hand, a related concept is bundling, which is slightly different and often more consumer-friendly. Bundling allows customers to buy packages of products or services, usually at a discounted price, without the necessity of having to buy an unwanted product to acquire the one they desire.