Why do prices end in $0.99?
Million Bazillion
Marketplace
4.6 • 3.3K Ratings
🗓️ 10 August 2021
⏱️ 22 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Ever notice how lots of prices at the store end in $0.99? So did Eli from Philadelphia, and he asked us to find out why. Turns out, it’s a method retailers use to get us to buy something — and it’s not their only one. This week, we’ll learn about how our brains work when we’re shopping, why it’s hard to resist a sale and some of the ways physical stores encourage us to spend a little more money. Let us know what you thought about this season and what you want Jed and Bridget to do next! You can reach us at Marketplace.org/million.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hey, President, check out my new invention. |
| 0:02.6 | It's a piggy bank that tells stories. |
| 0:05.2 | Ooh, how does it work? |
| 0:06.5 | Well, every penny that you put in |
| 0:08.4 | gives you the next word in a story. |
| 0:10.8 | Watch. |
| 0:11.7 | Once upon a time, unicorns. |
| 0:16.6 | Yeah, not somatic coins. |
| 0:18.4 | Oh, that's cool. |
| 0:19.3 | But it's kind of a lot of work to get a story. |
| 0:21.9 | What made you think of this? |
| 0:23.6 | Well, you know when you spend a dollar on something |
| 0:25.5 | that costs 99 cents? |
| 0:27.3 | I was just trying to figure out a good use |
| 0:29.1 | for all the pennies people get back. |
| 0:31.0 | Oh, that's clever. |
| 0:32.0 | How much do you have in there? |
| 0:33.1 | Remember, you do owe me some money. |
| 0:34.6 | Huh, so I'll need to open it. |
| 0:39.1 | Where's my football helmet? |
| 0:40.6 | Whoa, why are you putting on all that protective gear? |
| 0:43.3 | The other thing I did with this bank was |
... |
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