For years sociologisticians have plumbed the depth of the human psyche to come up with amazing weapons of war against those who won't buy the products they've been attacked with.
First there was the idea that instead of selling a product for $20, you sell it for $19.99. The consumer, being basically inert material in the eyes of advertisers would presumably look at the new price, now in the teens and say "I will now consume for this price is lower."
Fast forward to the advent of the $19.95 price tag which has been the backbone of our economy for generations. I'd be the first to celebrate this great accomplishment but I propose we move it a step further.
The $19.94 price tag. It's cheaper. It's better. It grabs you by the face and says you can't afford to not buy it.
This may be applicable to other amounts, such as $99.94 etc but further research is needed. A seven figure government research grant ought to do the trick.-- doctorremulac3, Mar 17 2017 Why things cost 19.95 https://www.scienti...y-things-cost-1995/Scientific American article. [doctorremulac3, Mar 19 2017] It begins! The only item on the web I found priced at $19.94. http://couponrebell...-19-94-target-1125/Too many $19.95 items to list obviously. [doctorremulac3, Mar 19 2017] Psycho crazy people taking it waaaaay too far. https://d30ocp3jhhj...ad_location_box.jpgThese people are clearly living in an alternate reality. Let's take a step back into the real world here people. [doctorremulac3, Mar 19 2017] Weird anno explained. https://www.youtube...watch?v=A2_snSkpULQBeautifully I may add. [doctorremulac3, Mar 19 2017] Perhaps the most sarcastic comedy bit ever written by man. https://www.theonio...purchase-1819564158R/C Cola Celebrates Its 10th Purchase. [doctorremulac3, Nov 07 2021] A bargain.-- whatrock, Mar 17 2017 $19.94 price tags..... going cheap at $19.93 for 1,000.-- xenzag, Mar 17 2017 Step right up, step right up, step right up, Everyone's a winner, bargains galore That's right, you too can be the proud owner Of the quality goes in before the name goes on One-tenth of a dollar, one-tenth of a dollar, we got service after sales You need perfume? we got perfume, how 'bout an engagement ring? Something for the little lady, something for the little lady, Something for the little lady, hmm Three for a dollar We got a year-end clearance, we got a white sale And a smoke-damaged furniture, you can drive it away today Act now, act now, and receive as our gift, our gift to you They come in all colors, one size fits all No muss, no fuss, no spills, you're tired of kitchen drudgery Everything must go, going out of business, going out of business Going out of business sale Fifty percent off original retail price, skip the middle man Don't settle for less How do we do it? how do we do it? volume, volume, turn up the volume Now you've heard it advertised, don't hesitate Don't be caught with your drawers down, Don't be caught with your drawers down You can step right up, step right up That's right, it fillets, it chops, it dices, slices, Never stops, lasts a lifetime, mows your lawn And it mows your lawn and it picks up the kids from school It gets rid of unwanted facial hair, it gets rid of embarrassing age spots, It delivers a pizza, and it lengthens, and it strengthens And it finds that slipper that's been at large Under the chaise lounge for several weeks And it plays a mean Rhythm Master, It makes excuses for unwanted lipstick on your collar And it's only a dollar, step right up, it's only a dollar, step right up 'Cause it forges your signature If not completely satisfied, mail back unused portion of product For complete refund of price of purchase Step right up Please allow thirty days for delivery, don't be fooled by cheap imitations You can live in it, live in it, laugh in it, love in it Swim in it, sleep in it, Live in it, swim in it, laugh in it, love in it Removes embarrassing stains from contour sheets, that's right And it entertains visiting relatives, it turns a sandwich into a banquet Tired of being the life of the party? Change your shorts, change your life, change your life Change into a nine-year-old Hindu boy, get rid of your wife, And it walks your dog, and it doubles on sax Doubles on sax, you can jump back Jack, see you later alligator See you later alligator And it steals your car It gets rid of your gambling debts, it quits smoking It's a friend, and it's a companion, And it's the only product you will ever need Follow these easy assembly instructions it never needs ironing Well it takes weights off hips, bust, thighs, chin, midriff, Gives you dandruff, and it finds you a job, it is a job And it strips the phone company free take ten for five exchange, And it gives you denture breath And you know it's a friend, and it's a companion And it gets rid of your traveler's checks It's new, it's improved, it's old-fashioned Well it takes care of business, never needs winding, Never needs winding, never needs winding Gets rid of blackheads, the heartbreak of psoriasis, Christ, you don't know the meaning of heartbreak, buddy, C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon Cause it's effective, it's defective, it creates household odors, It disinfects, it sanitizes for your protection It gives you an erection, it wins the election Why put up with painful corns any longer? It's a redeemable coupon, no obligation, no salesman will visit your home We got a jackpot, jackpot, jackpot, prizes, prizes, prizes, all work guaranteed How do we do it, how do we do it, how do we do it, how do we do it We need your business, we're going out of business We'll give you the business Get on the business end of our going-out-of-business sale Receive our free brochure, free brochure Read the easy-to-follow assembly instructions, batteries not included Send before midnight tomorrow, terms available, Step right up, step right up, step right up You got it buddy: the large print giveth, and the small print taketh away Step right up, you can step right up, you can step right up C'mon step right up (Get away from me kid, you bother me...) Step right up, step right up, step right up, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon Step right up, you can step right up, c'mon and step right up, C'mon and step right up.
The legendary Tom Waits-- doctorremulac3, Mar 17 2017 This is an old idea baked at the end of 20th century. I remember, because my daughter was born then.-- pashute, Mar 19 2017 Presumably she cost you $19.94 ?-- 8th of 7, Mar 19 2017 The linked study does not actually give the reason why things cost $19.95, nor does it claim to. At best, it gives a reason why things might be priced at $19.95 if we all had time to haggle over our weekly shopping, one item at a time. And it provides a useful tip about selling your house. But I'm not going to sell your house for $19.95
There may not be any such thing as *the* reason why this kind of thing happens, but I can offer the following:
My late father worked on the Dark Side, so to speak, in marketing and branding, and from him I learned that this "$x.95" phenomenon had a name, "charm pricing"; but I also learned that this was a misnomer: the real reason for it, according to him, was that retailers liked it for reasons of stock control; if you force the underpaid person on the till to make change, then you are forcing them to ring up the transaction on the till. This reduces the risk that they will smile warmly at the departing customer's back and pocket the $20, leaving the missing item to be detected in a stock take some time in the remote future, by when it will be far too late to trace what happened.
Now, if this *were* the real reason, then we might expect the practice to decline as we all start paying for things cashlessly. However, the decline might be extremely slow, since the great majority of businesses have, I suspect, long since forgotten how the custom arose, and just keep doing it because it's always been done. And each price-setting person probably gets a nice little warm feeling from the thought that *they* understand it's a trick, which, in their imagination, makes them so much smarter than millions of customers.
In fact, I witnessed this process unfolding just a few years ago when I overheard a phone call between some people deciding how to price a new online service. One of them proposed to price it at a nice, round $1, but others on the call insisted on shaving off a few cents, for reasons that sounded to me a lot like "it's always been done this way".-- pertinax, Nov 07 2021 Pert, this has to be the most interesting informative annotation I've ever read on this site.
So its beginnings were actually to prevent employee theft by forcing them to make change and ring up the transaction rather than just pocketing the bill. That makes sense.
That's worthy of a TicToc or Youtube fun facts piece.-- doctorremulac3, Nov 07 2021 There is a theory that people actually think .95 is cheaper than .94, because they sense that odd numbers are lower.-- 4and20, Nov 07 2021 Dang, that's some Mad Men (the tv show) level consumer psychology profiling here.-- doctorremulac3, Nov 07 2021 You're very welcome, [dr3]. Bear in mind, it is a single-sourced hearsay story in the form "my dad once said ...", so I can't guarantee it's true. But it might be. And it's true that that's what he said.-- pertinax, Nov 07 2021 Proof that I'm living in the simulation is I'm in the middle of watching Mad Men and I've just, for the first time in my life, heard from the first person I've ever known who's actually related to somebody in that business.
Coincidence? Uh hu.-- doctorremulac3, Nov 07 2021 Kind of off topic but we were told by the realtor when selling our last house that if we were targeting the Asian market to make sure our price included eights in it. Something to do with lucky numbers differing by culture he said.-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Nov 07 2021 Marketing's a weird game. Never seen an ad for the most popular product on Earth, the iPhone, at least not that stuck with me, but I saw a funny bit about Royal Crown cola making fun of how it was dwarfed by Coke and Pepsi due to its practically non existant advertising budget. Let me see if I can find that bit.
Got it!
(Link)-- doctorremulac3, Nov 07 2021 Somewhen in my distance past, I read about (another...) origin for the $x.99 pricing. It was to get either "new" or just "more" 1c coins into circulation. It may have been just after the Great Depression (the origin, that is, not when I read about it...) but I don't remember.-- neutrinos_shadow, Nov 07 2021 Boy, the plot thickens on this thing.-- doctorremulac3, Nov 07 2021 So many urban legends, so little time.-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Nov 08 2021 if only we could sell our halfbaked ideas-- pashute, Aug 21 2023 I recommend pricing items at $19.84 as a subtle reminder of what might happen if you don't buy it.-- 21 Quest, Aug 30 2023 You could price everything at $x.86 for a "Going Out of Business Sale." [Bartender joke, sorry.]-- minoradjustments, Aug 30 2023 BigBrother approves of $19.84 pricing. Now click on the big shiny BUY IT NOW button like a good citizen. Thank you.-- BigBrother, Sep 13 2023 random, halfbakery