The Bait And Switch

u can get someone to mentally commit to a productyou about the air conditioner or some other feature
or a decision, he is likely to remain committed evenfound in your car. You pay the extra $200 anyway
after the terms and conditions change. This is whybecause you're mentally committed to that car, and
when stores, for example, advertise very low pricesyou don't want to go through the whole hassle and
on a television set, they include in small print,headache of trying to renegotiate the deal.
"Quantities Limited." By the time you get to theOften car dealers promise an incredible price, even a
store, all the bargain televisions are sold, but you arefew hundred dollars below a competitor's price, all the
mentally committed to buying a new TV. Luckily forwhile knowing it's not actually going to go through.
you, there are more expensive models available. So,The deal is offered only to motivate the buyer to
you go home having spent $300 more on a televisionpurchase from their dealership. Once the customer
set than you originally planned, just because youdecides to buy, the dealer sets up several conditions,
needed to maintain a consistency between youreach of them causing the customer to feel
desire for a new TV and your action of being in theincreasingly committed before finding out the real
store.price: lengthy forms are filled out, great lengths are
This tactic is also often used when goods andtaken to set up specific financing terms, the
products go on sale. For example, a customer maycustomer is encouraged to take the car home and
be lured to a store by an incredible deal on a pair ofdrive it to work, to run errands, to cruise the
nice dress shoes. Upon inquiring, the disappointedneighborhood. The dealer knows that while the
customer learns from the salesperson that her size iscustomer is out joy riding, she is thinking of all the
not in stock. Just as the customer is about to leave,many reasons their purchase is justified
the salesperson miraculously displays another strikinglyThese tactics are even used when high school
similar pair--but this pair is not on sale.students and their parents are narrowing down the
Think of a time when you purchased a new car.colleges they should attend. Just like car dealers,
Have you ever noticed that when you're about tocolleges often give a low estimate on your costs,
sign the contract the price is $200 more than youand it's not until after you've signed up and registered
expected? Well, someone conveniently forgot to tellthat you discover your actual costs.