Decoy

Prompt: Value

Two bottles of wine were laying down in the cellar, chatting. One was a bottle of blended reds, the other a more expensive Cabernet Sauvignon. Above them, an old bottle of fine French wine lay dormant, a layer of dust covering its label.

“Betcha I’m the next to go,” said the expensive Cab Sauv.

“I’m cheaper, I’ll be picked sooner,” said the blend.

“Not if the old fart up there is on the menu,” said the Cab Sauv, who was more worldly than the blend.

“How so?” asked the blended wine…

The Decoy Price

When a very expensive wine is put on the menu beside other price options, so that the middle price seems the reasonable choice.

This tactic is sometimes used with the food menu, too; for example, listing an inexpensive chicken dish, an upscale steak dish, and an outrageously priced lobster dish. The steak suddenly seems more reasonable and accessible than it would if there were no lobster on the menu.

The solution? Don’t look at the prices. Make your reasoned choices, and if the price is exorbitant, then you can scale down. Don’t let decoy prices fool you!

 

• This advice brought to you by something I read on the Internet.