End of the 99p price tag

**DaveB** · 20 July 2009, 12:54

Originally posted by MrMark View Post

<CyberGunt>
This would never have happened under the Tories.
</CyberGunt>

**thunderlizard** · 20 July 2009, 12:58

There used to be a 98p shop on the Seven Sisters Road. (still is, for all I know). Beat that!

**RichardCranium** · 20 July 2009, 13:07

Using the 99-pence price tag originally developed as a sales tool to make items appear cheaper, Dr Lewis says.

A common fallacy.

The "£x and 99p" price was done to force the cashier to open the cash drawer. Virtually everyone waited for their 1p (or 1 cent as it was a Merkin idea) so the cashier had to ring up the sale and deposit the notes.

It was devised to stop cashiers pocketing the bank notes without ringing up the sale.

Now that everyone is paying in plastic, the technique is irrelevant.

**BrilloPad** · 20 July 2009, 13:07

I thought the reason for 99p instead of £1 was to force shop workers to go into the till so stopping them pocketing the £1?

**thunderlizard** · 20 July 2009, 13:11

Couldn't the cashier just scam that by bringing a handful of 1p's to work?

**original PM** · 20 July 2009, 13:11

and I always thought it was to make the product seem to be a lot cheaper than it was

e.g. £9.99 is 'under a tenner'
£99.99 is less than a hundred pounds

**gingerjedi** · 20 July 2009, 13:19

M&S done this years ago however if you buy a £1 marked item at the moment they give you 2p change because of the VAT reduction.

**RichardCranium** · 20 July 2009, 13:20

Originally posted by thunderlizard View Post

Couldn't the cashier just scam that by bringing a handful of 1p's to work?

All supermarkets have a policy to summarily sack staff for having change on their person on the shop floor.

**TriggerHippy** · 20 July 2009, 13:43

I always thought it was to make things appear cheaper .... if that's not the case, why are all these JML garbage items sold at £19.95 ???

End of the 99p price tag