It is not obvious to me than anchoring matters nearly as much in situations where the party being anchored knows they are in a negotiation.
On the other hand, an anchor can backfire when the party being anchored doesn't know they're negotiating, too.
When Google offered me a job back in 2006, they named the first number -- and coming from an academic background and having no experience in industry, it didn't occur to me to try to negotiate. Instead, the low offer simply contributed to me rejecting the offer.
It's entirely possible that I would be working for Google if they had offered me what they thought I was worth. (I don't know what they thought I was worth, but in hindsight and with the benefit of talking to many Googlers in similar positions, I'm sure it would have been at least 25% and probably 50% higher.)
On the other hand, an anchor can backfire when the party being anchored doesn't know they're negotiating, too.
When Google offered me a job back in 2006, they named the first number -- and coming from an academic background and having no experience in industry, it didn't occur to me to try to negotiate. Instead, the low offer simply contributed to me rejecting the offer.
It's entirely possible that I would be working for Google if they had offered me what they thought I was worth. (I don't know what they thought I was worth, but in hindsight and with the benefit of talking to many Googlers in similar positions, I'm sure it would have been at least 25% and probably 50% higher.)