Behavioral Economics: Buying Candy Poll

[Anne]

Lindt Lindor Truffles (Milk Chocolate) - INGREDIENTS: Milk Chocolate [Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Milk, Chocolate, Soya Lecithin (Emulsifier), Barley Malt Powder, Vanillin (Artificial Flavoring)], Vegetable Oil (Coconut, Palm Kernel), Sugar, Chocolate, Cocoa Butter, Milk, Soya Lecithin (Emulsifier), Barley Malt Powder, Vanillin (Artificial Flavoring), Caramel Flavoring.

Hershey's Kisses - INGREDIENTS: Milk Chocolate (Sugar, Milk Chocolate, Cocoa Butter, Lactose, Milk Fat, Soy, Lecithin, and PGPR, Emulsifiers, and Vanillin, Artificial Flavor).

The presence of solid vegetable fats in the Lindt truffles has always made them feel congealed on my tongue. I'd go for the Kiss every time.

 

[Midpack]

The presence of solid vegetable fats in the Lindt truffles has always made them feel congealed on my tongue. I'd go for the Kiss every time.

OK, in your case it's a Vosges truffle for 15¢ vs a Hershey's Kiss for 1¢. Please vote again...

 

[Kronk]

I found myself thinking about this thread when I needed to fill my gas tank. My car takes premium fuel. The first place I was going to stop at was 4.359 for premium. I decided to bypass that for an unknown price at another station that ended up being 6 cents cheaper at the other station. So, good move, saved 90 cents for 15 gallons.

Still, the point is, would I have bothered looking for cheaper gas a few years ago when it was 2.359? If I still could have saved 90 cents, but the fillup was only $35 versus $65 would I still have bothered trying to find the cheapest gas? Hrm...

---

Oh, and if I had to go either/or, I'd probably choose the Lindt truffles. They just taste better.

 

[gandalf42]

Being a chocoholic I'd go for the kisses in scenario 1 and parcel them out over time. In scenario 2, I'd take as many of the freebies as possible, set some aside for future consumption, then go sell the rest at a penny a piece and come back and buy truffles.

 

[tangomonster]

Thanks for your reponses. I think I learned the following:

1. Some of our members don't like chocolate.

2. Some have been brought up like me, being told by parents to accept anything that was "free."

3. Some agree that Lindt chocolates aren't "all that."

4. Our members have some interesting attitudes and behaviors about consuming!

 

[lazygood4nothinbum]

i don't know what a lindt truffle is but it sounds like a mushroom you just pulled out of your pocket. i'll take the hershey kiss. always go for the sure thing.

 

[FUEGO]

Lindt truffles.

Wow, surprised you guys don't know what they are! I stumbled upon them while trying to snap up "fancy" chocolates for DW's xmas/bday/v-day gifts a few years ago. I have bought more since for similar occasions. Only $2-3 for a bag containing maybe 12 candies or so (that's walmart prices, folks, might be higher at "fancy" stores). Definitely worth trying. If you're going to eat high calorie chocolate, might as well make it divine.

 

[Orchidflower]

Thanks, Fuego, I so agree with you. Myself, a devoted chocolate fan, I love Lindt. In fact, since I have cut out sweets now, I find myself, amazingly, becoming more and more a chocolate snob; and can really discern the difference in quality SO much more than when I was scarfing everything that came my way in the form of chocolate.

TANGOMONSTER: I know you read a study about this somewhere to trigger you asking such an unusual question to the board. Divulge your source, sir.... And what did the article say about responses? Or was this from "Psychology Today" that rarely seems to give conclusions (at least, in my opinion).

 

[tangomonster]

Orchidflower: I haven't read the book yet, but the study was from Predictably Irrational, by a professor of economics at MIT, Dan Ariely:

Amazon.com: Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions: Dan Ariely: Books

He talks about why people will steal office supplies but not money---and why people will order the second highest priced item on a menu when they wouldn't have ordered the same item had it been the highest.

As I understand it, the results were:

When people were asked if they would like a 15 cent Lindt truffle or 1 cent Hershey kiss, 73% noted that they would buy the truffle. When a penny was dropped off the price of each so that the truffle became 14 cents and the Hershey's kiss became free, only 31% chose the truffle.

The point of it was that "we often show bad judgment in life, like allotting too much value to things that are free."

And I'm not a Sir....(see my tagline)....