[Golden Legacy]

What’s the difference between 240 and 260? How about 353 and 373? 690 and 710?
(Don’t shoot me yet <.<)

So, I’m sure you realize (hopefully o O) that the difference between all of the above pairs of numbers is 20. But is it really?

Whether you realize it or not, the last pair (690 and 710) instinctively appears to have a difference of more than 20; that is, 690 appears worth less than it really is. Just try it, and for the most part, you will see what I mean.

This is a technique that is employed ALL the time. Did you ever wonder why, for example, everything is priced JUST below the whole amount? For example, instead of 20.00, you will see a price of 19.99, instead of 150, you will see 149.99, etc.

Likewise, with SAT (Scholastic Assessment Tests) scores, it is strongly recommended that if you achieve a score “just missing” a barrier (690 being just less than 700), that you retake it.

Comments, questions, ideas, etc.

(Now, go ahead and shoot if you please ^_^ … err, no wait, I was just kidding O.O)

[Ravenblade]

yeah id considered the shopping thing before but do you really think that people "buy" (heh) that nowadays? I mean everyone knows the deal with these things now surely.

With regards to the numbers, i dont think i ever devalued 690 cos it was not in the same number of hundreds as 710, although i agree that it doesnt seem quite as comfortable as taking in the gap between 680 and 660. Thats only a plit secind thing though surely?

[Luna]

<<; If you buy ten things that are $9.99 you save 10 cents! :D! And THAT is my contribution to math...*shudders*

Or well no...actually... I just thought of something. Here, we use "colones" and just that, we don't have anything that is used as cents or the such. And, I haven't seen any prices that look like ¢4,999 or what you just mentioned.. Plus, if you have one ¢5,000 bill, why would you want a ¢1 coin back? >.o;

[Bekita]

Yeah it does look different but I think it's the way our brain works. And when people price things at $9.99 or whatever I always think it looks more expensive than just adding one more cent so it's $10. But that's just me.

[Luna]

...I agree with Bekita >.o; It sort of feels unstable when it's .99 x.x;

[Golden Legacy]

I actually agree. I find a nicely rounded number to have greater appeal. It appears somewhat... strangely odd to have a value of .99, and I believe that it is this instability, as Tatiana put it, that allows for products to be sold, yet for scores or grades to appear underwhelming.

[Echo_djinn]

Wow, I never really put much thought into that. Thats a very good question. Why do they they make the value of things one cent or two off it's real value. I agree with you all that it's better to see a whole number then any decimal price.

[Golden Legacy]

Well, I suppose it relies on the context. If we are dealing with money, then apparently, according to retailers, that additional one or two cents is supposed to be more appealing (but I find it the contrary, yes).

However, when it refers to, for example, scores or grades on Standardized exams, it appears to have the opposite effect (take the explanation I had about the SATs).

[Meglo]

The sales tax usually drives it up and over .99 anyway. :P

[Illidan]

People who price things with .99 only make it harder for themselves. Personally I think .99 cents is a stupid way to price any sort of product. It's as stupid as a product being on a sale for 1 cent less (and believe me I've seen it in a grocery shop before). Unfortunately some people think it's physically appealing because it's good to know a product is priced less than a dollar, which means less bigger numbers in a value. But it really doesn't make a difference at all.

[Sea of Time]

The $159.99 and $160 scenario is just to make the prices look better. It makes people think they save money. For example, at Walmart, video games can be , say, 40.87 while at Target, they could be 41.99. Walmart is trying to make people think that they are saving a whole bunch of money, while really it's not that much of a difference.

[My Best Wishes]

doesn't matter if they put 99 on it cos it just gets rounded up doesn't it?

[gsninja]

No matter what, most of the time, there's always going to be a tax on the prices, so stuff costs more than it appears.

[MysticWarrior]

I dislike most markets, restaurants, etc. for their sad attempt to make things cheaper than they really are...

[gsninja]

I really hate that...why don't they just put a price and stick with it?

[Neon]

because consumers are sad, easily manipulated fools. I don't care what you say now, once you're standing in the store, the .99 does actually make it appear cheaper.

[gsninja]

There shouldn't be taxes. Customers are easily manipulated by that. A bad thing is commercials. Advertisers keep saying how good the stuff they're showing can be. They say it's cheap and easy. Not. They say all the good things, and then when consumers go to buy those things, they find it's not as cheap or good as they expected (Maybe).

[Golden Legacy]

Well, taxes or not, .99 still appears considerably less than 1.00 to the average consumer. It lies in our instinctive perception of things.

And yes, ADs do dramatically increase a product's appeal. I'm sure we have all experienced it; waiting and desperately hoping for some item, only to receive it and... find out it simply is not as good as you had anticipated.

Quite a frustrating feeling at that.

[Bekita]

lol yes especially if you find out it's garbage...ad's are funny things.

I still say it's weird but I see $1 as better than .99 I like numbers to be rounded off so even if it saves me a penny I would still want $1

[Golden Legacy]

^ I couldn't agree more. A nice rounded off number certainly has more appeal, the way I see it. But not to the retailers, apparently.

[gsninja]

I agree as well. Retailers should just round off numbers. Why can't $.99 just be $1.00? Because retailers are, IMO, just dumb.

[Ravenblade]

it's more cos they thing we're dumb...and they're right^^

the retail industry has been pwning all of us since we were born with there £1.99 kinda stuff. But then, would you want it any other way?

[Cosmos]

I think the worry of the companies is, is that if they don't use a technique that their competition is using, the competition will get more stupid people buying it. (And unfortunately, most people are stupid.)