Why is a 99p price tag so attractive?

The tactic of shops ending prices with 99p is nothing new, but a study has found it's as effective as ever in getting shoppers to part with their cash. So why is one of the oldest tricks in the retail trade hard to resist?
In terms of familiar retail ruses employed to entice shoppers to part with their money, ending price tags with 99p, rather than rounding up to the full pound, is right up there with buy one, get one free promotions and half-price offers.
But according to a French study the phenomenon still swings a considerable number of shoppers. Researchers found that lowering the price of a pizza from 8.00 euros to 7.99 euros boosted sales by 15%.
For consumers, the saving is minimal and the copper coins they receive as change when paying with a note seem to be more of a hassle than a benefit - in 2005, Britons discarded or stashed away £133m in unwanted coppers, according to Virgin Money.
So if shoppers aren't concerned about saving mere pennies these days, why are they falling for the 99p effect?
Emotional difference
One theory is consumers just aren't up to the maths. Dr Jane Price, lecturer in psychology at the University of Glamorgan, says we "tend to put numbers in categories like 'under £5' or 'under £6' - rather than them representing a value. Shoppers are aware of what is going on, but don't respond to it because they don't think logically about how close numbers are - such as £99.99 and £100."
She thinks shoppers tend to focus on the big denomination - which the pound sign draws the eye to - rather than the smaller denomination: the pence. There is also the emotional incentive - people like to feel they are getting better value for money.
Robert Schindler, professor of marketing at Rutgers Business School in the US, has published several papers on the "99 effect". He expresses it slightly differently, observing that people overweigh the left hand number.
"When a price changes from $30 to $29.99, the change from three to two makes more of a difference than the value of that money could predict," says Mr Schindler. "It is like when a 39-year-old turns 40, the birthday feels like a big deal. Or when 1999 ends and 2000 starts. It feels like an emotional difference."
Discount associations
It's sometimes suggested the "99 effect" was adopted as a control on employee theft - cashiers had to open the till for change, reducing the chances of them pocketing the bill.
But Mr Schindler thinks it has a different origin. It was introduced for sale items, to emphasise the discount.
"I studied adverts in the New York Times from 1850 - where there were no 99 endings - to the 1870s and 1880s where they started to appear. Although department stores were doing it - which would fit with the cash register hypothesis - they were advertising discounts. But for the regular price they would use a round number," he says.
He thinks the retail practice developed from there, to communicate discount or the impression that things are on sale - even when they are not.
But it is a subtle effect, which works when consumers are susceptible to price sensitivities and are making a snap decision, rather than deliberating over big items like cars and houses. And high end brands which exude a classy image tend not to use the tactic.
Pressure on income
Nick Gladding of Verdict Research, is sceptical shoppers are fooled by the "99p effect". However, in these more straitened times, even tiny adjustments in price can be enough to win over hard up consumers.
"We are seeing fuel prices going up and down by 1p - it is a tiny amount of money, but people want to hear about it," he says.
So are there any other numbers that the unsuspecting shopper should be aware of?
A .95 ending is also popular, observed Mr Schindler, although anyone shopping in Asia might be struck by how prices often end in .88. The reason? Eight is an auspicious number in countries such as Japan, Hong Kong and mainland China.

Credit Repair is More Than a Right, It's Your Responsibility

The majority of Americans have errors and other unverifiable information on their credit reports that could be dragging down their credit score. Odds are good that your credit score is lower than it should be. The unfortunate thing is that odds are you will be yet another one of the millions of Americans who will continue to suffer with an unfair credit score because you will do nothing to repair your credit.
Most Americans want to believe the credit reporting system works; that people earn their bad credit and there is nothing they can do about it but wait for seven years. But study after study shows the credit reporting system frequently does not work. This is why the Fair Credit Reporting Act and other consumer protection legislation give you the right to do something about it - the right to make sure your credit score is as good as it can be.
So why is it that, though everyone has the right to dispute the negative items in their credit reports, very few people do? It certainly can't be because they don't understand the importance of a high credit score. After all, it doesn't take a genius to figure out the benefits of a good credit score when it can be the difference between paying $2,500/month and $2,000/month for the exact same house.
More likely, the reason people do not repair their credit is a mix of apathy and lack of understanding of the credit reporting system. Too many people assume the credit reporting system is some official government bureaucracy with an extensive system of checks and balances designed to ensure the safekeeping of their credit history. This couldn't be further from the truth.
The credit bureaus at the center of the credit reporting system are not official organizations. Instead, they are massive, for-profit corporations that collect personal information from your creditors and make money by selling this information in the form of your credit reports.
So now you are asking yourself, how do they ensure this information is correct? If a creditor reports something that is wrong, how do the credit bureaus make sure it doesn't end up on your credit reports?
The answer to both of these questions is: they don't. Your creditors report information, the credit bureaus record it, and for most people, the story ends there.
Nobody at the credit bureaus or in the government is going to make sure your credit reports are accurate. The way the credit reporting system is set up, there is only one person who will ever bother to check up on your credit reports - and that person is you. You are the missing, and ultimately the most important, piece of the credit reporting puzzle.
Making sure your credit score is where it should be is your responsibility and repairing your credit reports is a task you will have to initiate because no one out there will do it for you.
It is your right and your responsibility to dispute the questionable negative items in your credit reports and the sooner you start, the better. You can work to repair your credit on your own or you can enlist the help of a credit repair law firm like Lexington Law.
Whether you attempt to repair your credit on your own or with the help of a credit repair expert, by taking an active role in the credit reporting system, you can ensure your credit score is as good as it can be and that you have the advantage over the millions of people out there with bad credit who haven't taken action to do anything about it.

The Dollar and the Gas Prices: by Susan Duey

One often wonders how today's economy affects the all might dollar. The truth is that most people have a hard decision to make about where to spend the dollar. The gas prices have risen above $4 a gallon leaving many people without other things they need to live. If you have $40 to spend on food, you could by a couple days worth of food, but if you spend that $40 on gas, you are going to get less than ten gallons of gas. If you have a car that gets twenty-two miles to the gallon, more than likely, your gas is not going to last longer than a week.
The economy has been impacted by gas prices as well as grain and wheat costs. If one would go to the bakery for bread and muffins, that same forty dollars would be short about $10 to $15 dollars. The credit crisis is affecting everyone. The average person does not make enough money to buy food, gas and pay bills with the way the economy is today. The price of gas and foods has gone up, but the pay scale has not budged. People are still making the same amount of money they were before all the price increases, which has placed a hardship on many families.
The decision you make about how to spend that $40 will affect the entire family. If you buy two gallons of gas, which will give you roughly 44 miles of driving and buy meals for a family of three for the day, that $40 dollars is gone and it probably was a little short. Frugal living is becoming more common as the prices go up. Going without certain things has become a way of life. Walking instead of driving is more common in smaller communities. Credit card payments and mortgages have to be paid. However, what do you make the family go without to pay the bills and buy food?
The economy needs help. The price of wire has gone up so much that companies cannot afford to make mattresses and sell them for a reasonable price. So now, that dollar has even less value. If you need a mattress, gas and food, you have to sacrifice something in order to have the things that you need to live every day. The value of the dollar does not mean much these days. In order to make the dollar more for its value, the prices of wire, gas and food products has to drop considerably. This probably is not going to happen.
The credit crisis is affecting everyone. Medical coverage is dropping and the cost to the consumer has risen. Today, it is hard for a family of three or four to live comfortable and have the necessities. Until the credit crisis levels off, one will only feel more pressure and see more homes and property lost. Hard times make it hard for hard working people to survive and have the things that they need.

Average Credit Cards with Great Rates

Average credit cards are usually low on features and carry higher rates when compared to other credit cards. Most of the credit cards that consumers will find online are designed for people with very good credit or poor credit. However, in today’s market, the average credit scores nationwide for consumers have been trending downward. This is forcing banks and credit card issuers to focus on consumers who have fair to average credit more so than they have in the past.
When shopping online for average credit cards, consumers are typically offered credit cards that are geared towards consumers who have poor credit. This is simple economics, credit card websites make money when you are approved for a credit card, and credit cards in this class will allow them to get more credit cards approved. Unfortunately, in this scenario the credit card issuers win and the consumer loses.
However, if you know where to look, and which cards to apply for, consumers with average credit can find great deals in today’s credit card market. They may be buried on the last page of most credit card websites, but they do exist. Direct Banc is one of the few credit card websites that prominently displays the best of the average credit cards up front. These credit cards will carry the lowest rates and the best features for applicants with fair to average credit. Here are a couple examples:
IberiaBank Visa® Classic Card ��" IberiaBank is directly related to Pulaski Bank, one of these two banks recently bought the other one, I’m really not sure how it went down. Nonetheless, they offer a great credit card for those who have average credit. This credit card, like most credit cards, has a variable rate that hovers around 4% - 5% their credit threshold is stated as “Average”.
Average credit is an unclear term, and each bank has a different definition of what “average” is. What we have noticed at Direct Banc, is that IberiaBank defines average credit as one who has a few bumps and bruises on his or her credit but generally pays their bills on time. Ample discretionary income and residential stability are key factors for them as well.
Another great credit card for average credit is the Capital One® Platinum card. This card offers a low 8.9% interest rate for those with average credit who qualify. One of the great features you will find with this card is a 0% balance transfer feature. Transferring a balance from another card to a 0% interest rate will give consumers a huge break on their monthly payments. As with all cards, we suggest that you read Capital One’s® important disclosures for More Information.
Finding average credit cards for fair to average credit may be a little harder than hopping on a website and applying for the first card that you see displayed. Most of the cards you will see prominently displayed are either aimed at consumers whose credit is very good, or those whose credit is very poor. However, if you take your time, read the fine print, you can find great deals on average credit cards.