Not always the dozen is cheaper
Principle "cheaper by a dozen"
The family pack cornflakes, the triple pack of potato chips or the package toast to bread as smaller portions: Many buyers believe that who buys a lot, gets a lot of discount - after all, volume discount is a kind of basic principle of trade. Unfortunately, many supermarket customers are wrong with that. Consumer advocates repeatedly come to the conclusion in studies: More than every fourth bulk pack is more expensive than a smaller pack.
Tip: Especially with sweets be careful. Businesses are required to give a kilo price for each product. This allows you to compare the prices of different packs. And most of all, consider how much you actually eat. If the remnants of the bulk pack are spoiled and end up in waste, any savings advantage is gone.
Principle "Flatrate"
The phone flatrate and all-you-can-eat promotions are popular - but are they also cheaper than individually settled conversations or meals? Marketing experts have recalculated and found out that Many people even then opt for a package offer, if a precise billing would be cheaper for them, One reason for this is the so-called devaluation effect that often comes when we pay for something in advance: we quickly forget that the telephone company debited a lot of money from our account at the start of the month and enjoy the feeling of surfing and calling for free. Paradoxically, many customers say they find it convenient not to think about the cost of each phone call - and accept an overall higher bill.
Tip: In order to get a feel for the price of flatrate offers, you should think twice about how much you really need and what it costs. If the package is more expensive, make a conscious decision whether you want to afford the luxury of not having to constantly recalculate.
Principle "Flea Market"
If you are lucky, you will find nice things for portals like Ebay for little money. Those who are not careful, but also spend more quickly than he would pay for the same product in the store. Marketing experts justify this with the anchor price: Our brain struggles to set a value for things, and seeks comparative values. In the department store, the customer can keep products of different prices right next to each other - this is not possible at the flea market and online auction, so the brain is lacking orientation.
Tip: A study shows that Ebay users bid more realistically if they find out before the auction, how much money was offered for the item in other auctions - then they have a more realistic anchor price in mind.
Principle "duty-free"
Gas, tobacco and imported products are heavily used by the government. Whoever manages to get around the tax legally saves money theoretically. Problem: In duty-free shops, prices are also expensive without taxes - Finally, the shopkeepers at the airport pay high rents. In addition, many customers do not regularly buy perfume or expensive whiskey. Thus they lack the feeling of price for it - especially if they pay in a foreign currency.
And refueling abroad? It's only worth it if you live right on the border or regularly drive to the neighboring country for your job. Otherwise, the joy of having cheated on the German tax authorities is usually greater than the actual savings.
Tip: Before you travel, find out what the expensive perfume or fine whiskey in a normal business - and make sure that it is actually cheaper in the duty-free shop.
Principle "scrapping premium"
Whether old electrical appliances, mattresses or jeans - many shops offer money for old products, if you buy a new one. Is it worth it? If you want to go for such a promotion, you should know the silver-line effect: Customers accept a bad deal more easily if they are offered a good deal at the same time - for example, getting money for an old thing they would otherwise have thrown away. Unfortunately, this works even when the disadvantages of bad business predominate. Customers are particularly likely to jump in if the discount is very conspicuously granted, for example if the seller pays it in cash rather than deducting from the purchase price of the new thing.
Tip: Recalculation also helps here: How big is the savings? And does one really need the new product or does it still do the old one?
Principle "reduced"
If in the supermarket big signs draw attention to the fact that there is something to save, the customers like to access. The advertisers take advantage of the so-called framing effect. It makes customers automatically look more attractive to a business when it feels like a profit. For example, if a product is reduced from 200 euros to 150 euros, people jump on the offer "Save 50 euros!". It seems much more pleasant to them than the offer "Pay only 150 euros!", Which the customers unconsciously book as a loss.
Tip: Is an action really a discount offer? Not everything that is in the supermarket in separate containers is actually lowered - sometimes such action areas also serve to draw attention to the product. Incidentally discounted offers, where the original price was never requested and only displayed to lure customers with the alleged special offer, are not allowed. Such "moon prices" are considered as unfair competition.
