Sneaky Ways to Make You Think Something Costs Less than It Really Does

[Amethyst]

Just_Steve posted a thread about how two slightly different packages of cheese are being sold at the same price, but different weights, to disguise that one cheese actually costs more than the other one.

Others, including me, chimed in with other ways that people with something to sell, try to disguise prices so that buyers think they're getting more of a bargain than they really are. Examples: Shrinkflation, pretending that a "tip" for a meal or service is voluntary instead of an expected addition to the posted price, and prices that end in ".99" so they look (at first glance) to be a greater bargain than a mere penny off.

Most of these practices, especially Shrinkflation and tipping, have their own lengthy threads, so I'm not looking to start another discussion about how morally good or bad they are. I'm interested in examples of ways we can be deceived into thinking we're getting bargains that we really aren't.

Let's see how many we can come up with.

 

[easysurfer]

Prices go up just before a big, say 30% off sale to advertise the sale.

 

[SnowballCamper]

Check out the book "Priceless: The Myth of Fair Value" by William Poundstone. It's a little bit dated by now, but the psychology it reveals hasn't changed. I find many of the choices used in the studies he describes a bit contrived, but they're useful to understand how we see money (on average).

​

 

[JohnnyPHX]

I hate that car dealerships are allowed to post attractive prices on sites like CarGurus. Then you go to the dealerships website and read the fine print and they have all these additional dealer add-on costs like Desert Protection packages. Sure you can try to negotiate everything but just give me a no BS price upfront. We went to one dealer who insisted every car they sell has to have their package so we walked away from the deal. They finally got the message and stopped calling us to try and get our business.

 

[Gumby]

"No" is the most powerful word in a consumer's vocabulary. You can also comment on the horse they rode in on, but "no" is a good start.

 

[USGrant1962]

The other day I opened a box of 10 Keurig pods and, when looking at the pods stacked in there, it was obvious that two more pods could fit in the box. No idea if they used to have 12, but the oversized box is deceptive. Though it was clearly labeled as 10 pods.

 

[scrabbler1]

I hate that car dealerships are allowed to post attractive prices on sites like CarGurus. Then you go to the dealerships website and read the fine print and they have all these additional dealer add-on costs like Desert Protection packages. Sure you can try to negotiate everything but just give me a no BS price upfront. We went to one dealer who insisted every car they sell has to have their package so we walked away from the deal. They finally got the message and stopped calling us to try and get our business.

I encountered this when I bought my car back in 2007. It had these 3 dealer add-ons (like "rust-proofing" and "undercoating," 2 BS options I knew beforehand) which cost about $1,300. When I said I didn't want them and wouldn't pay for them, they told me all the cars come with them. The third add-on was mildly useful but way overpriced. I told the salesman I'd pay $100 for it and he agreed. I was ready to walk if they held firm.

 

[COcheesehead]

Airline tickets…
Baggage charge
Pick your seat charge
Carry on charge

 

[Zathras]

are. I'm interested in examples of ways we can be deceived into thinking we're getting bargains that we really aren't.

I think there are two categories.
One simply uses human psychological tendencies (e.g your 99 cent example). I do not find these deceptive, as you are paying exactly what you thought.
The other category are actual deceptive practices. The auto dealers advertised price vs the cost they charge is a great example.

One of my favorites, that I fall for even though I know it is just playing on psychology, is the “save $x when you buy 3!”.

The whole, save x% when you sign up for Y period of time is another good one. There are times this is actually a good deal, but there are also a lot of people that regret it.

 

[Texas Proud]

Just like the cheese I see it in candy all the time...

The bags are the same size but there can be anywhere from 8 to 10.5 oz in them.. usually the holiday version is the lightest...

BTW, the shrinkflation on this is down from 16 oz in the past..

OHH, forgot to post... Reese (the grandson) has complained about Hershey not using milk chocolate or even real peanut butter in some of their Reese's PBC... the article has said that a lot of candy is using something besides milk chocolate..

 

[Koolau]

I hate that car dealerships are allowed to post attractive prices on sites like CarGurus. Then you go to the dealerships website and read the fine print and they have all these additional dealer add-on costs like Desert Protection packages. Sure you can try to negotiate everything but just give me a no BS price upfront. We went to one dealer who insisted every car they sell has to have their package so we walked away from the deal. They finally got the message and stopped calling us to try and get our business.

Yeah, I've walked away from at least 10 "deals" for every car I've bought. You know they're ready to "start" dealing when they offer you 3 more deals on your way to the door.

 

[Original Wally]

Airline tickets…
Baggage charge
Pick your seat charge
Carry on charge

Next will be a bathroom charge.

 

[Original Wally]

I think there are two categories.
One simply uses human psychological tendencies (e.g your 99 cent example). I do not find these deceptive, as you are paying exactly what you thought.
The other category are actual deceptive practices. The auto dealers advertised price vs the cost they charge is a great example.

One of my favorites, that I fall for even though I know it is just playing on psychology, is the “save $x when you buy 3!”.

The whole, save x% when you sign up for Y period of time is another good one. There are times this is actually a good deal, but there are also a lot of people that regret it.

Regular 25 cents each' SPECIAL TODAY = 3 for a buck.

 

[skipro33]

Soft drink 12 packs with deals like Buy 2 get 1 free. Price for one gets jacked up to $11.99 from $9.99. I can buy beer for the same price, $24 a case.

 

[audreyh1]

The other day I opened a box of 10 Keurig pods and, when looking at the pods stacked in there, it was obvious that two more pods could fit in the box. No idea if they used to have 12, but the oversized box is deceptive. Though it was clearly labeled as 10 pods.

I think they’ve had boxes of 10 for a long time though.

We don’t buy small boxes of Keurig pods as they are rarely a good deal, you can usually order a larger box. We haven’t bought boxes of Keurig pods in a very long time anyway as we use our own ground coffee which tastes better as well as being much cheaper even with high end whole beans.

 

[audreyh1]

Just like the cheese I see it in candy all the time...

The bags are the same size but there can be anywhere from 8 to 10.5 oz in them.. usually the holiday version is the lightest...

BTW, the shrinkflation on this is down from 16 oz in the past..

OHH, forgot to post... Reese (the grandson) has complained about Hershey not using milk chocolate or even real peanut butter in some of their Reese's PBC... the article has said that a lot of candy is using something besides milk chocolate..

Yeah I think this no actual chocolate came out in the news a couple of years ago in response to the rising cost of chocolate which has been going on for a while. Why are you buying bags of candy anyway, ha ha.

 

[athena53]

"Freemium" phone apps and software. You can download them for free but then find you can do very little unless you "upgrade".

Airline and hotel loyalty programs where the value of points can decrease at any time.

Deceptive packaging. Example- airport concession and convenience store salads that put all the pretty vegetables on top and the rest is iceberg lettuce. I saw one slideshow in which the plastic bowl had a giant dome in the middle, significantly decreasing how much it held.

And all the stuff that went away with COVID and never came back- daily hotel housekeeping is at the top of the list, but I rejoined Planet Fitness after 5 years and the free pizza day and free bagel day every month are gone. I didn't bother with them- they seemed contrary to the purpose of going to the gym- but that used to be a tactic to keep people paying the membership fee even if they didn't use the equipment very often.

The disappearance of DIY incentives- airlines and hotels would throw you a few extra points for booking on their site, Hilton would give you extra for not having daily housekeeping, gas station self-service bays were a few cents less per gallon than "full-service" bays. They get you used to DIY and then take away the full-service option AND the incentive.

I'll add DIY in general. I'm OK with self-serve that works but last week it took me 20 minutes of poking at my phone and walking around to find someone with an answer when I wanted to park at Union Station in KC. I've got other examples of poorly-designed interfaces that wasted my time. There's also the imbedded cost of having a phone connected to the Internet and a QR code app.

 

[JoeWras]

Adding on exorbitant shipping charges.

 

[COcheesehead]

Next will be a bathroom charge.

In Europe I’ve paid to pee.

 

[Aerides]

More stores requiring you to sign up for their "club" or app to get the discount that's posted on the item. (Looking at you, Target). You aren't Costco. I don't want your app. I don't want notifications and emails, I just want to buy the thing.

 

[Onda]

In Europe I’ve paid to pee.

But at least you’re not getting hit with “tip creep” on a touchscreen for every basic transaction. I’ll take a clear €0.50 restroom fee over the awkward “15/20/25% or custom” prompt at every store checkout.

 

[Aerides]

In Europe I’ve paid to pee.

In England, that's was long the norm. You literally pushed a penny into a widget in the door to open the stall. So, the expression to excuse oneself to go to the restroom became "I've got to go spend a penny!"

 

[athena53]

In Europe I’ve paid to pee.

So have I and I don't object to it- there's a cost to keeping rest rooms clean and stocked with TP and paper towels.

 

[COcheesehead]

So have I and I don't object to it- there's a cost to keeping rest rooms clean and stocked with TP and paper towels.

So you’re open to paying for it on a plane? Don’t give them any ideas.

 

[CRLLS]

Advertised in great big letter the low monthly car lease payment. In the fine print: after $10,000 down. Not that I have EVER leased a car.