We seem to be a society obsessed with “special offers”. To some of us, of course, cost is necessarily the first thing we have to consider when buying anything, but those with the deepest pockets are often just as frugal.
I was in a well known furniture warehouse the other day with a friend who I know is quite comfortable, financially. After an hour’s browsing, we re-traced our steps to make her purchases and I was astonished to see her prevaricating. The item she was looking at was one of the store’s more highly-priced products, but it was still way, way below other brands she would find on the High Street. The problem, as I see it, was that, although she could easily afford it, having been surrounded by ridiculously low price tags my friend could not bring herself, psychologically, to buy something with a price tag above the norm for that store.
The psychology of special offers is obviously big business – who prices something at £6 rather than £5.99? I do it in my own business, to some extent. However, one decision I made right from the start was not to compete on price, which is possible when you’re offering something as bespoke as photography. I wonder, though: do you feel manipulate by our special offer culture? What is your reaction to the “special offer” below – outrage, or amusement?
Fair enough!
Personally, I like knowing where I stand. If I’m being offered 2 for the price of 1, chances are the price is double what it should be in the first place!
Exactly! I take the special offer price to be the ‘normal’ price!!
By: Andrew on February 21, 2011
at 13:05