From time to time, Bunny and I look for ways to save money. And there seems to be no end to the ways one can do this.
We are running out of toilet cleaning fluid and need to get more. Bunny goes online and finds a vendor selling the item in question for Rs 119 per container, all taxes and delivery charges included.
OK, that sounds reasonable, let’s go, I say. But, says Bunny, if we buy two, we only pay Rs 220, which means we end up saving Rs 18.
The idea of saving Rs 18, on a toilet cleaner or something else, is very appealing in these difficult times affected by the pandemic, so we are going for the discounted double offer. And I’m sure there are people like us who make a similar choice and opt for the surplus in order to save.
Marketers of everything from toilet cleaners to tablecloths are leveraging this reasoning to drive sales by offering rate cuts through programs like bogofs.
Bogof is the acronym for Buy One, Get One Free. Or rather FREE!
Free, especially if followed by an exclamation mark, is arguably the most compelling word, regardless of the language it’s written or spoken in.
The prospect of getting something for nothing at least temporarily suspends all questions and doubts about the overall benefit offered.
‘Free’ is a verbal magnet of almost irresistible power. This was brought to our attention last week when a local Chinese restaurant presented us with four coupons with which we could benefit from four separate offers.
The first of these was a 25% discount on the total bill. wow. Twenty-five percent free! We went, we ate, we paid a bill of Rs 3,000, down from Rs 4,000.
To save Rs 1,000, we had spent Rs 3,000. The second coupon was a bogof. You paid for one meal for Rs 1,250 and got the second meal for free. Or FREE!
But after saving Rs 1,000 by spending Rs 3,000, we couldn’t afford to save anymore. That’s the problem with saving money. It’s too expensive to do it.
Warning
The opinions expressed above are those of the author.
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