Why we always see the $.99 at the end of price?
By clorissa123
@clorissa123 (4926)
United States
March 25, 2009 7:01pm CST
When you go shopping, either clothing, or grocery shopping, or buy your gasoline, you always see the price set to $6.99, or $8.99, etc.... Why didn't they just set the price to a even number, $7.00, or $9.00? What is the ending $.99 mean? Why we do it this way?
3 people like this
7 responses
@momtrying2makeit (3270)
• United States
26 Mar 09
It is a marketing ploy and it works. Someone thinks hey it is under a dollar or for example lets say you have something for sale that is 21.50 and something is 19.99 well I would buy the one that is 19.99 because in my mind it is under 20 bucks but if you add tax than you know it goes over 20.00. See I believe that is why the .99 cent thing pulls people in. Happy mylotting and have a great night 
1 person likes this
@thezone (9394)
• Ireland
26 Mar 09
Yes as others have said it is a marketing ploy to make the product seem cheaper.
It is the same as placing all the day to day groceries at the back of the store, so you have to pass the impulse buys.
The same could be said of locking shopping trolley wheels, so that you just bump into something you did not go into buy.
@momtrying2makeit (3270)
• United States
26 Mar 09
Locking the wheels on shopping carts. Hmmm I never thought about that but hey that is a possiablity too. Thanks for opening my mind to this.
1 person likes this
@ratyz5 (7808)
• Philippines
26 Mar 09
Yeah, they always do that even though we know that it only needs a cent to make a $.99 into a dollar. I guess what the other posters here have mentioned is right, it is a marketing strategy to make consumers think that they are saving more money. 
@belhaven14 (454)
• United States
26 Mar 09
Its all a marketing scheme. You see the 6 at the front of 6.99 which seems cheaper than 7.00. People are so used to it that it may not have a huge effect anymore, but it works.
@stacienicole (80)
• United States
26 Mar 09
Lol...I always think that to. I think it is a way to fool our brain into thinking its cheaper than actually a dollar. I guess people only see the 8 in 8.99. I think it is crazy. Guess it would just be too easy to set the price to an even numb.
@luvmysons (497)
• United States
26 Mar 09
What a great question.. I would like to no the answer to that one too.. Thats so annoying. It should just be an even number. I agree with you
@theweerouss (982)
• United States
26 Mar 09
Since we read numbers left to right, pricing with a .99 after the dollar is a way of tricking the mind. For instance, if you're purchasing something for $6.99, the first thing your mind registers is the six. Six is less than seven, and therefore you think you're getting a better deal than if the item was $7.00. It seems like a silly way to get people to buy things (after all, we all know 99 cents is only one penny away from a dollar!) but the trend has been set to price things this way, and I'm sure companies will continue to use it to sell their goods for a LOOOONG time!
