I'll bet you're wondering what this blog post is about! ;) It sure was difficult to give this post a name! I rarely rant but this might come across as one! ;) It's about the word "ONLY". Coupled with money, people throw this word around ALOT! At the grocery store. Car Dealerships. On billboards. As Seen On TV. Retail. Wholesale. Everywhere!
When you see high pressure sales they usually include the word ONLY. This is ONLY 19.99. (Why not just bump it up and call it 20 dollars so it doesn't sound cheaper than it really is!?) You have to buy this (insert a specific product here ) ONLY during this specific time period if you want this special deal. This specific product is ONLY available until today and you must purchase now to take advantage of the discount.
What are the circumstances when someone uses the word only?
***High pressured sales (think car salesmen)
***People that want you to buy immediately with no thought of budget or long term circumstances (This is exactly how people go in to debt)
***People who have taken advantage of the above deals and want to justify the act to themselves, friends and family
This hand that is pointing at others has five other fingers pointing back at me so I am not excluding myself from doing this!
It enters into the couponing world as well. I can buy these hot pockets for ONLY 3.50 and with a coupon they will ONLY cost 3 bucks. But, for me, questions arise. If I wouldn't have purchased the Hot Pockets anyways and they blow part of my food budget are they really neccesary? Why oh Why would we buy something for only such and such price if we weren't going to buy it anyways? For pocket change I can make up my own yeast bread. for 1.75 I can buy a package of cheese. For 1.69 I can buy some ground turkey. Throw in some spices and a stint in the oven and I can have 12 homemade hot pockets for 1/4 of the price. And I'll bet they'll taste much better, be healthier and have no preservatives!
What about you? Are you guilty of using the word only? I know I am!
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Actually, I really work hard at ignoring the whole "only" thing. I think about things like the whole coupon, sale price and what it really will cost me.But, here is a sad reality We hae our own company and sell our own product. We prefer to deal with whole numbers because it is way easier in the long run. However, if we price something at $2.00 one day and $1.95 the next, we will sell a lot more at $1.95 than the two dollars!People really have some kind of mental block when it comes to this kind of pricing. It's very weird. Thank you for sharing at TTF. Have a Happy St. Patrick's Day!
ReplyDeleteI don't know HOW I missed your comment Diann but this is huge! It's so true about marketing to ordinary people and the mental block many have to overcome. Grrr!!!!
DeleteI hate playing the mind game and knowing I was a tool of marketing bigtime!
Thank you for sharing this over at Precious' blog. I have been thinking about this issue too in terms of birthday BOGO coupons. If you were going out to dinner anyway, it is a deal, but if you have to eat out more than you planned to "use up" the BOGO coupons, not such a good deal! Jen @ Healthfulsaver
ReplyDeleteTotally agree! But many don't realize it at all!
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