Member-only story
“Free” Stuff Can Cost You
When spending more is actually a good thing
Every spring and autumn, I vacuum out my car. There’s a car wash near me that has free vacuums, but when I tried it recently, the vacuums had barely any suction. Then they stopped working completely.
I drove to another car wash that charges $1 for a few minutes of vacuuming. And you know what? The vacuum worked perfectly. I was done before the time ran out. Paying just a little bit saved me a lot of time and effort.
The difference between $1 and $2 is hardly anything, but the difference between $1 and $0 is staggering. Once people decide to fork over money, the actual dollar amount doesn’t matter so much. It’s bridging the gap between “free” and “pay something” that’s tricky.
Companies leverage this by giving free samples in supermarkets. It’s free, so we take it. If we like it, we grab the item and put it in our cart. We seamlessly cross the gap.
They also do this in salons, washing your hair with shampoo and conditioner that they sell.
As long as we’re aware of it, there’s not a problem. Everyone likes trying before they buy.
But are we really aware of it? One study found that pharmaceutical companies' gifts to doctors can change what they prescribe. That’s one instance…
