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Million Bazillion, Why do prices end in $0.99? (1)

Why do prices end in $0.99? (1)

JED: Hey Bridget, check out my new invention: it's a piggy bank that tells stories!

BRIDGET: Ooh, how does it work?

JED: Well, every penny that you put in gives you the next word in a story. Watch.

(SFX - COIN CLINK)

TINNY VOICE: Once…

(SFX - COIN CLINK)

TINNY VOICE: upon...

(SFX - COIN CLINK)

TINNY VOICE: a...

(SFX - COIN CLINK)

TINNY VOICE: time...

(SFX - COIN CLINK)

TINNY VOICE: unicorns...

JED: Ah nuts, I'm out of coins.

BRIDGET: That's cool, but it's kind of a lot of work to get a story. Why'd you think this was a good idea?

JED: Well, you know when you spend a dollar on something that costs 99 cents? I was just trying to figure out a good use for all the pennies people get back.

BRIDGET: That's clever. How much do you have in there? Remember, you owe some money.

JED: Huh, so I'll need to open it… Where's my football helmet?

(SFX - ZIPPING AND CLICKING OF FOOTBALL HELMET)

BRIDGET: Whoa, why are you putting on all that protective gear?

JED: The other thing I did with this bank was make it really hard to open up.

TINNY VOICE: Halt intruder!

(SFX - TARGETING BEEPS, PNEUMATIC & METAL LEGS AND WHIRRING SAWBLADES)

TINNY VOICE MORPHING TO MEAN VOICE: Welcome back, Jed. Shall I remind you of what happened last time you tried to get money out?

JED: Storytime's over, Piggytron. Let's do this!! !

(BACKGROUND SFX - JED WAGES EPIC BATTLE AGAINST THE PIGGY BANK)

BRIDGET: Wow, that thing is mean! Forget it, Jed! It's not worth it!

---Theme Music---

Intro - JED

JED: It's Million Bazillion. I'm Jed.

PICKUP BRIDGET: I'm Bridget, and we're here to help dollars make more sense. Today's episode is a real good one...and it's also the last in our season! So a quick reminder...you can get on our email list at Marketplace dot org/ BONUS. We've got a newsletter, and you'll be the first to know what's next for Million Bazillion. Okay, I think it's time we get back to the show, right?

JED: Yup, and we've got a doozy of a question to answer. Here it is.

ELI: “Hi my name is Eli, I'm from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I want to know why some prices are 99 cents instead of one dollar. Because why would they give you one cent for change?”

JED: This is such a great question, because it's one of those things that I totally just took for granted. Yeah, tons of prices end in 99 cents. Don't even bat an eyelash at it -- despite the fact that it's totally weird!

BRIDGET: Totally weird. But it turns out there's a very interesting reason it exists. It all has to do with the way our brains work when we're shopping. We'll explain more about that after this.

--ARK--

And now it's time for asking random kids not so random questions. Today's question is:

If you could invent a product that would make being a kid easier, what would it be?

This has been asking Random Kids Not So Random Questions.

----

BRIDGET: We're answering Eli's question about why so many prices end in 99-cents, today.We looked into it, and we've got some great answers coming up for you.

JED: One thing we couldn't figure out, though, is how 99-cent pricing began. A lot of times, when something started a long time ago, we don't have historical records that say, “This is how it began.” There are a lot of theories out there, some of which are pretty fun.

(SPOOKY UNSOLVED-MYSTERIES-TYPE MUSIC BEGINS)

VOICE 1: Tonight, the mystifying origin of the 99-cent price tag. Its use is widespread throughout America, but how did it begin? Here are two actual ideas that people have come up with to explain it.

VOICE 2: Number one.

VOICE 1: It's 1875, and the Chicago Daily News begins printing newspapers. The price? One cent. But most people aren't carrying pennies in their pockets, so the paper's owner convinces local stores to drop their prices by one cent. That leaves shoppers with the penny they need to buy a newspaper. And that's how 99-cent prices began. Or was it?

VOICE 2: Number two.

VOICE 1: It's more than a hundred ago, and shopkeepers have a problem: their sneaky clerks are pocketing dollar bills instead of putting them in the cash drawer. So the store owners come up with an idea: Stop using flat dollar amounts for prices. That means customers will always get some coins back. Then, all the store owners have to do is sit back and listen for the clink of coins hitting the cash drawer. That sound tells them the money is going where it's supposed to.

(SFX - COINS CLINKING INTO A DRAWER)

VOICE 1: We've offered you two theories. Was it one of these ideas that led to the prices we know today? Was it something completely different? You be the judge.

(MUSIC ENDS)

JED: We may never know what actually began the 99-cent price thing, but one thing's for sure: it's not going anywhere. And that's because it's a super effective trick that's used to get us to buy things.

BRIDGET: It has to do with what's known as consumer behavior. That means the way shoppers or “consumers” behave when shopping. So, how they decide what they're going to buy. We spoke with an expert in it.

THOMAS 1: My name is Manoj Thomas. I'm a professor at Cornell University. And I study consumer behavior. I study the kinds of things people buy, I study why they buy it, and what makes them buy it? (:17)

BRIDGET: Manoj says that changing the price of something from, say, $2 dollars to $1.99, makes us think the price is cheaper, not just by a cent... but a lot more.

THOMAS 2: So as you all know, when we read things, we read things from left to right. And when we are reading prices, also we start reading prices from left to right. And our brains are really, really smart. So as we read from left to right, we start making judgments even before we complete reading. I see $1.99, even before I finish reading the 99 cents and make sense of how big or small The price is, my judgment is anchored on the dollar value. And I feel Oh, it's about $1, something more than $1. (:46)

BRIDGET: That first digit is really important. That's why you always see $19.99 instead of $20 or $99.99 instead of $100. You see the number ONE first, and you've already decided it's cheaper than it actually is.

JED: This trick works really well on our brains, which is kind of weird, because right now, you're just sitting there, you're probably thinking, “Nineteen-ninety-nine is not that different from 20 dollars.” Manoj says a lot of people think they're too smart to be fooled by this.

THOMAS 3: Oh, this affects only people who do not know math, I am very good at math. I don't fall prey to this. And from all the data that we have seen, that is not true. In fact, I would even go as far as to venture that. Peopl me who are very good at math, because their brain kind of works too fast, they're probably more susceptible to this… (:22)

BRIDGET: Basically, when you're really good with numbers, your brain processes them really quickly. So you skim and skip ahead, and that's where this tricks you. Can you imagine? Being more easily fooled because you're better at math? !

JED: Now, some of you may be thinking, but what about the penny that stores miss out on by pricing things like this? Aren't they potentially losing money? Manoj says it's a minor sacrifice they make to get a whole lot more. Like, if there's a store that's selling a notebook for two dollars but decides to charge a dollar-ninety-nine instead...

THOMAS 4: It's losing out one cent on the notebook, right? But if the dollar 99 appears much smaller than $2, and it appears like a big de al, then more people are buying likely to buy the notebook. And they will buy more notebooks. So overall, the money that they make will be much more than the money they're going to lose by pricing it a cent lower. (:22)

PICKUP JED: Eli, you asked why so many prices end in 99 cents. The answer is, it has to do with what stores know about the way our brains work when we're shopping. That's something they study, because they want to make the most money possible. Coming up, we're going to tell you the story of someone who tried to make shopping much clearer and simpler...only to have it backfire.

---Midroll---

JED: And we're back! Because there's more to Eli's question than a simple answer about our brains reading left to right! We've already told you about the prices-ending-in-99-cents thing… Now, let's talk about another really effective tactic: sales.

BRIDGET: See, our brains just LOVE a good discount...so much that they can get a little silly about them. Jed, how do you feel when you see a sale?

JED: Oh man. My brain gets so excited. And then I stop thinking clearly. I just want to buy things, because I feel like I'm getting a great deal. And then I spend a whole bunch of money.

BRIDGET: I know that feeling! Here's what's happening...The truth is, we shoppers tend to have a hard time understanding why things cost what they do. Say, for example, you're looking at a shirt in a department store. And the price tag says…$12.

$12 SHIRT: And what a nice shirt I am! 12 bucks? I'm a steal!

JED: Okay, yeah, seems about right.

BRIDGET: Okay...now picture another shirt...but this one is $45.

$45 SHIRT: Uh, yeah. And worth every penny. I'm a shirt who knows my worth. !

BRIDGET Can you really tell me why one is worth $45 and why one is worth $12?

JED: Maybe it's better quality? Like, maybe the pricier one is made of like, fancy cotton? Or it's guaranteed not to shrink in the wash?

BRIDGET: It could be, but it's probably hard to really know just by looking at the shirt on the rack. But what happens is, our brains will sometimes assume that the one with the higher price tag must be a nicer shirt. Because they must be charging us more for something, right? Now, what if the $45 dollar shirt is on sale for $20 dollars?

JED: More than half off? Oh, that's a great deal. Maybe I should get two…

$45 SHIRT: Why not get three of me? One in every color!

BRIDGET: But you could also buy the $12 shirt! It looks like a perfectly good shirt!

$12 SHIRT: Well thank you! I am perfectly good.

PICKUP BRIDGET: And it still costs less than one on sale for $20.

PICKUP JED: Yeah, but if I buy the more expensive shirt on sale, I'm getting a high quality shirt AND I'm not paying $45 dollars for it. [DELIVER MORE OVER THE TOP]

$45 SHIRT: Oh yeah, you're actually SAVING $25! It's almost criminal to sell me so low.

BRIDGET: Well that's your brain on discounts. Because that's just another way of saying...I'm SPENDING $20 instead of $12.

JED: [Reaction sound/or says something]

$45 SHIRT: [TONE IS SOMEONE CAUGHT IN A LIE, BACK PEDDLING]: Well, I mean (awkward laugh).

BRIDGET: And here's another thing. There's a chance the store always knew it wasn't going to sell you that shirt at $45. They were always going to try to sell it to you for $20, but when you see the original price is $45, you get really excited to buy it for the “lower” price. And you're not thinking about whether the now $20 shirt is actually worth the extra 8 bucks you're paying because you didn't buy the $12 shirt.

PICKUP JED: Ugh. They got me. We should make sales illegal.

PICKUP BRIDGET: Uhhh, well, about that. Actually, there REALLY was a store....that once tried to get rid of sales. I won't name names but...they were like:

HUCKSTER VOICE: Hit the road, SALES! From this day onward, we're gonna start off pricing everything at its ACTUAL, low low price! Our customers don't need sales stickers. [SAID WITH DISGUST] They'll just know we're giving them quality merchandise at a decent cost! No more horsefeather discounts! No more tricks! I reckon we'll become the most popular store of all time!


Why do prices end in $0.99? (1) لماذا تنتهي الأسعار بـ 0.99 دولار؟ (1) ¿Por qué los precios terminan en $0.99? (1) 価格が 0.99 ドルで終わるのはなぜですか? (1) Por que os preços terminam em US$ 0,99? (1) Почему цены заканчиваются на $0.99? (1) Fiyatlar neden 0,99 dolarla bitiyor? (1) 为什么价格以 0.99 美元结尾?

JED: Hey Bridget, check out my new invention: it's a piggy bank that tells stories! جيد: مرحبًا بريدجيت ، تحقق من اختراعي الجديد: إنه بنك أصبع يروي القصص! JED: Hola Bridget, mira mi nuevo invento: ¡es una alcancía que cuenta historias! JED: ねえ、ブリジット、私の新しい発明をチェックしてみてください: それは物語を語る貯金箱です! JED: Ei Bridget, veja minha nova invenção: é um cofrinho que conta histórias! JED: Hey Bridget, yeni icadıma bak: hikayeler anlatan bir kumbara!

BRIDGET: Ooh, how does it work? ブリジット: ああ、それはどのように機能するのですか? BRIDGET: Ah, como funciona?

JED: Well, every penny that you put in gives you the next word in a story. JED: 1 セント硬貨を投入すると、ストーリーの次の単語が得られます。 JED: Bem, cada centavo que você investe lhe dá a próxima palavra em uma história. JED: Harcadığınız her kuruş size bir hikayedeki bir sonraki kelimeyi veriyor. Watch.

(SFX - COIN CLINK) (SFX - コインクリンク) (SFX - COIN CLINK)

TINNY VOICE: Once…

(SFX - COIN CLINK) (SFX - コインクリンク)

TINNY VOICE: upon... TINNY VOICE: その時...

(SFX - COIN CLINK) (SFX - コインクリンク)

TINNY VOICE: a... TINNY VOICE: あ…

(SFX - COIN CLINK) (SFX - コインクリンク)

TINNY VOICE: time... TINNY VOICE: 時間...

(SFX - COIN CLINK) (SFX - コインクリンク)

TINNY VOICE: unicorns... TINNY VOICE: ユニコーン...

JED: Ah nuts, I'm out of coins. JED: なんてことだ、コインがなくなってしまった。 JED: Ah, maluco, estou sem moedas.

BRIDGET: That's cool, but it's kind of a lot of work to get a story. BRIDGET: いいですね。でも、ストーリーを作るのは大変な作業です。 BRIDGET: Isso é legal, mas dá muito trabalho conseguir uma história. 布里奇特:这很酷,但要获得一个故事需要做很多工作。 Why'd you think this was a good idea? なぜこれが良いアイデアだと思ったのですか? Por que você achou que isso era uma boa ideia?

JED: Well, you know when you spend a dollar on something that costs 99 cents? JED: ええと、99 セントかかるものに 1 ドルを費やすときを知っていますか? JED: Bem, você sabe quando você gasta um dólar em algo que custa 99 centavos? I was just trying to figure out a good use for all the pennies people get back. 私は、人々が戻ってきたすべてのペニーの有効な用途を見つけようとしていた. Eu só estava tentando descobrir um bom uso para todos os centavos que as pessoas recebem de volta. Я просто пытался найти хорошее применение всем пенсам, которые люди возвращают.

BRIDGET: That's clever. BRIDGET: Isso é inteligente. How much do you have in there? いくら入ってる? Quanto você tem aí? Remember, you owe some money. 覚えておいてください、あなたはいくらかのお金を借りています。 Lembre-se, você deve algum dinheiro. Помните, вы должны немного денег.

JED: Huh, so I'll need to open it… Where's my football helmet? JED: えーと、開けないといけないんだけど…フットボールのヘルメットはどこ? JED: Huh, então eu preciso abri-lo... Cadê meu capacete de futebol?

(SFX - ZIPPING AND CLICKING OF FOOTBALL HELMET) (SFX - フットボール用ヘルメットのジッパーとクリック) (SFX - FECHAR E CLICAR DO CAPACETE DE FUTEBOL)

BRIDGET: Whoa, why are you putting on all that protective gear? ブリジット: おっと、どうしてそんなに防護服を着ているの? BRIDGET: Uau, por que você está colocando todo esse equipamento de proteção? 布里奇特:哇哦,你为什么要穿这么多防护装备?

JED: The other thing I did with this bank was make it really hard to open up. JED: 私がこの銀行で行ったもう 1 つのことは、口座開設を非常に難しくすることでした。 JED: A outra coisa que fiz com esse banco foi dificultar a abertura.

TINNY VOICE: Halt intruder! 小さな声: 侵入者を止めろ! TINNY VOICE: Pare o intruso!

(SFX - TARGETING BEEPS, PNEUMATIC & METAL LEGS AND WHIRRING SAWBLADES) (SFX - ターゲティング ビープ音、空気式および金属製の脚、回転する鋸刃) (SFX - 瞄准哔哔声、气动和金属腿和旋转锯片)

TINNY VOICE MORPHING TO MEAN VOICE: Welcome back, Jed. 小さな声が意地悪な声にモーフィング: おかえりなさい、ジェド。 Shall I remind you of what happened last time you tried to get money out? 最後にお金を取り出そうとしたときのことを思い出させてください。 Devo lembrá-lo do que aconteceu da última vez que você tentou sacar dinheiro?

JED: Storytime's over, Piggytron. JED: 話の時間は終わりだ、ピギトロン。 JED: A hora da história acabou, Piggytron. Let's do this!! これをやろう!! Vamos fazer isso!! !

(BACKGROUND SFX - JED WAGES EPIC BATTLE AGAINST THE PIGGY BANK) (バックグラウンド SFX - 貯金箱に対するジェドの壮大な戦い)

BRIDGET: Wow, that thing is mean! ブリジット: うわー、それは意地悪だ! Forget it, Jed! 忘れて、ジェド! It's not worth it! それはそれだけの価値はありません!

**---Theme Music---**

**Intro - JED**

JED: It's Million Bazillion. JED: ミリオン バジリオンです。 I'm Jed. 私はジェドです。

PICKUP BRIDGET: I'm Bridget, and we're here to help dollars make more sense. PICKUP BRIDGET: 私は Bridget です。 Today's episode is a real good one...and it's also the last in our season! 今日のエピソードは本当に良いものです...そしてそれは私たちのシーズンの最後でもあります! So a quick reminder...you can get on our email list at Marketplace dot org/ BONUS. 簡単なリマインダーです...Marketplace dot org/ BONUS のメーリング リストに参加できます。 We've got a newsletter, and you'll be the first to know what's next for Million Bazillion. ニュースレターをお送りしました。Million Bazillion の次の予定を誰よりも早くお知らせします。 Okay, I think it's time we get back to the show, right? さて、ショーに戻る時が来たと思いますよね?

JED: Yup, and we've got a doozy of a question to answer. JEDです:うん、それに答えるために、ドジな質問もあるんだ。 Here it is. これです。

ELI: __“Hi my name is Eli, I'm from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ELI: 「こんにちは、Eli と申します。ペンシルバニア州フィラデルフィアから来ました。 I want to know why some prices are 99 cents instead of one dollar. なぜ1ドルではなく99セントの値段があるのか知りたい。 Because why would they give you one cent for change?”__ なぜ彼らはあなたに釣り銭を1セントもくれるのですか?」

JED: This is such a great question, because it's one of those things that I totally just took for granted. JED: とても素晴らしい質問ですね。 Yeah, tons of prices end in 99 cents. ええ、たくさんの価格が 99 セントで終わります。 Don't even bat an eyelash at it -- despite the fact that it's totally weird! まつ毛をたたいてもいけません - それは完全に奇妙であるという事実にもかかわらず! Даже не моргните на это глазом — несмотря на то, что это совершенно странно!

BRIDGET: Totally weird. BRIDGET(ブリジット):完全に奇妙な。 БРИДЖЕТ: Совершенно странно. But it turns out there's a very interesting reason it exists. しかし、それが存在する非常に興味深い理由があることがわかりました。 It all has to do with the way our brains work when we're shopping. それはすべて、買い物をしているときに脳がどのように機能するかに関係しています。 Все дело в том, как работает наш мозг, когда мы делаем покупки. We'll explain more about that after this. この後、詳しく説明します。

**--ARK--**

**And now it's time for asking random kids not so random questions. そして今、ランダムな質問ではなく、ランダムな子供たちに質問する時が来ました. А теперь пришло время задавать случайным детям не такие уж и случайные вопросы. Today's question is:**

**If you could invent a product that would make being a kid easier, what would it be? Если бы вы могли изобрести продукт, который облегчил бы жизнь ребенку, что бы это было? **

**This has been asking Random Kids Not So Random Questions. **

**----**

BRIDGET: We're answering Eli's question about why so many prices end in 99-cents, today.We looked into it, and we've got some great answers coming up for you.

JED: One thing we couldn't figure out, though, is how 99-cent pricing began. A lot of times, when something started a long time ago, we don't have historical records that say, “This is how it began.” There are a lot of theories out there, some of which are pretty fun. Часто, когда что-то начиналось давным-давно, у нас не было исторических записей, в которых говорилось бы: «Вот как это началось». Есть много теорий, некоторые из которых довольно забавны.

(SPOOKY UNSOLVED-MYSTERIES-TYPE MUSIC BEGINS) (НАЧИНАЕТСЯ ЖУТКАЯ МУЗЫКА В ТИПЕ НЕРАСКРЫТЫХ ЗАГАДОК)

VOICE 1: Tonight, the mystifying origin of the 99-cent price tag. ГОЛОС 1: Сегодня загадочное происхождение ценника в 99 центов. Its use is widespread throughout America, but how did it begin? Here are two actual ideas that people have come up with to explain it.

VOICE 2: Number one.

VOICE 1: It's 1875, and the Chicago Daily News begins printing newspapers. The price? One cent. But most people aren't carrying pennies in their pockets, so the paper's owner convinces local stores to drop their prices by one cent. Но у большинства людей в карманах нет ни копейки, поэтому владелец газеты убеждает местные магазины снизить цены на один цент. That leaves shoppers with the penny they need to buy a newspaper. その結果、買い物客は新聞を買うために必要な1円を手にすることができる。 Таким образом, у покупателей остается копейка, необходимая им для покупки газеты. And that's how 99-cent prices began. そして、99セントの価格はこうして始まった。 Or was it? Или это было?

VOICE 2: Number two.

VOICE 1: It's more than a hundred ago, and shopkeepers have a problem: their sneaky clerks are pocketing dollar bills instead of putting them in the cash drawer. 店員がドル札を現金引き出しに入れず、ポケットにしまっているのです。 So the store owners come up with an idea: Stop using flat dollar amounts for prices. そこで、店主たちはあるアイデアを思いつく:価格を一律にドル建てにするのはやめよう。 Поэтому владельцы магазинов приходят к мысли: перестаньте использовать фиксированные суммы в долларах для цен. That means customers will always get some coins back. Это означает, что клиенты всегда получат обратно некоторое количество монет. Then, all the store owners have to do is sit back and listen for the clink of coins hitting the cash drawer. そうすれば、店主はただ座って、現金引き出しに当たるコインの音を聞いていればいいのです。 That sound tells them the money is going where it's supposed to.

(SFX - COINS CLINKING INTO A DRAWER)

VOICE 1: We've offered you two **theories. VOICE 1:2つの説を提示しました。 ** Was it one of these ideas that led to the prices we know today? その中で、今の価格につながるようなアイデアがあったのでしょうか? Was it something completely different? You be the judge.

(MUSIC ENDS)

JED: We may never know what actually began the 99-cent price thing, but one thing's for sure: it's not going anywhere. JEDです:何がきっかけで99セントが始まったのかはわかりませんが、確実に言えることは、99セントはどこにも行かないということです。 And that's because it's a super effective trick that's used to get us to buy things. それは、私たちにモノを買わせるために使われる超有効なトリックだからです。

BRIDGET: It has to do with what's known as consumer behavior. BRIDGETです:それは、消費者行動と呼ばれるものに関係しています。 That means the way shoppers or “consumers” behave when shopping. So, how they decide what they're going to buy. We spoke with an expert in it.

THOMAS 1: My name is Manoj Thomas. I'm a professor at Cornell University. And I study consumer behavior. I study the kinds of things people buy, I study why they buy it, and what makes them buy it? (:17)

BRIDGET: Manoj says that changing the price of something from, say, $2 dollars to $1.99, makes us think the price is cheaper, not just by a cent... but a lot more. BRIDGETです:マノジは、例えば2ドルのものを1.99ドルに変えると、1セントどころかもっと安くなったと思うようになると言っています。

THOMAS 2:~~ ~~So as you all know, when we read things, we read things from left to right. トーマス2:では、みなさんご存知のように、私たちはものを読むとき、左から右へと読みますよね。 And when we are reading prices, also we start reading prices from left to right. And our brains are really, really smart. So as we read from left to right, we start making judgments even before we complete reading. I see $1.99, even before I finish reading the 99 cents and make sense of how big or small The price is, my judgment is anchored on the dollar value. And I feel Oh, it's about $1, something more than $1. (:46)

BRIDGET: That first digit is really important. That's why you always see $19.99 instead of $20 or $99.99 instead of $100. Вот почему вы всегда видите 19,99 долларов вместо 20 или 99,99 долларов вместо 100 долларов. You see the number ONE first, and you've already decided it's cheaper than it actually is.

JED: This trick works really well on our brains, which is kind of weird, because right now, you're just sitting there, you're probably thinking, “Nineteen-ninety-nine is not that different from 20 dollars.” Manoj says a lot of people think they're too smart to be fooled by this.

THOMAS 3: Oh, this affects only people who do not know math, I am very good at math. I don't fall prey to this. And from all the data that we have seen, that is not true. In fact, I would even go as far as to venture that. Peopl me who are very good at math, because their brain kind of works too fast, they're probably more susceptible to this… (:22)

BRIDGET: Basically, when you're really good with numbers, your brain processes them really quickly. So you skim and skip ahead, and that's where this tricks you. Can you imagine? Being more easily fooled because you're better at math? 数学が得意だから騙されやすい? !

JED: Now, some of you may be thinking, but what about the penny that stores miss out on by pricing things like this? JEDです:さて、こう考えている人もいるかもしれませんが、このような価格設定にすることで、お店が逃す1円はどうなのでしょうか? Aren't they potentially losing money? Manoj says it's a minor sacrifice they make to get a whole lot more. Like, if there's a store that's selling a notebook for two dollars but decides to charge a dollar-ninety-nine instead...

THOMAS 4: It's losing out one cent on the notebook, right? But if the dollar 99 appears much smaller than $2, and it appears like a big de al, then more people are buying likely to buy the notebook. しかし、ドル99が2ドルよりもずっと小さく見え、大きなデアルに見えると、より多くの人がノートブックを買う可能性が高くなります。 And they will buy more notebooks. So overall, the money that they make will be much more than the money they're going to lose by pricing it a cent lower. (:22)

PICKUP JED: Eli, you asked why so many prices end in 99 cents. The answer is, it has to do with what stores know about the way our brains work when we're shopping. その答えは、買い物をするときの脳の働きについて、お店が知っていることと関係があります。 That's something they study, because they want to make the most money possible. それは、できるだけお金を稼ぎたいから、勉強するのです。 Coming up, we're going to tell you the story of someone who tried to make shopping much clearer and simpler...only to have it backfire. 今回は、ショッピングをよりわかりやすく、よりシンプルにしようとした結果、それが裏目に出てしまった人の話を紹介します。

**---Midroll---**

JED: And we're back! Because there's more to Eli's question than a simple answer about our brains reading left to right! なぜなら、エリの質問には、私たちの脳が左から右に読むという単純な答えだけではないものがあるからです! We've already told you about the prices-ending-in-99-cents thing… Now, let's talk about another really effective tactic: sales. 99円という価格についてはすでにお伝えしたとおりですが、もうひとつ、本当に効果的な戦術である販売についてお話しましょう。

BRIDGET: See, our brains just LOVE a good discount...so much that they can get a little silly about them. Jed, how do you feel when you see a sale?

JED: Oh man. My brain gets so excited. And then I stop thinking clearly. I just want to buy things, because I feel like I'm getting a great deal. And then I spend a whole bunch of money.

BRIDGET: I know that feeling! BRIDGETです:その気持ち、わかるわ! Here's what's happening...The truth is, we shoppers tend to have a hard time understanding why things cost what they do. 実は、私たち買い物客は、モノがなぜ高いのかを理解するのに苦労する傾向があります。 Say, for example, you're looking at a shirt in a department store. And the price tag says…$12.

$12 SHIRT: And what a nice shirt I am! РУБАШКА ЗА 12 ДОЛЛАРОВ: А какая у меня классная рубашка! 12 bucks? I'm a steal! 私はスティールです!

JED: Okay, yeah, seems about right.

BRIDGET: Okay...now picture another shirt...but this one is $45.

$45 SHIRT: Uh, yeah. And worth every penny. そして、1円でも多くの価値を。 I'm a shirt who knows my worth. !

BRIDGET Can you really tell me why one is worth $45 and why one is worth $12?

JED: Maybe it's better quality? Like, maybe the pricier one is made of like, fancy cotton? Or it's guaranteed not to shrink in the wash? それとも洗濯しても縮まないことが保証されているのでしょうか?

BRIDGET: It could be, but it's probably hard to really know just by looking at the shirt on the rack. BRIDGET(ブリジット):そうかもしれませんが、ラックに並んだシャツを見ただけでは、本当にわからないでしょう。 But what happens is, our brains will sometimes assume that the one with the higher price tag must be a nicer shirt. Because they must be charging us more for something, right? だって、何かと課金してくれるに違いないでしょう? Now, what if the $45 dollar shirt is on sale for $20 dollars?

JED: More than half off? Oh, that's a great deal. Maybe I should get two…

$45 SHIRT: Why not get three of me? $45 SHIRT:私を3人分用意しませんか? One in every color! 全色で1本ずつ!

BRIDGET: But you could also buy the $12 shirt! BRIDGETです:でも、12ドルのシャツを買うこともできます! It looks like a perfectly good shirt!

$12 SHIRT: Well thank you! I am perfectly good.

PICKUP BRIDGET: And it still costs less than one on sale for $20.

PICKUP JED: Yeah, but if I buy the more expensive shirt on sale, I'm getting a high quality shirt AND I'm not paying $45 dollars for it. [DELIVER MORE OVER THE TOP]

$45 SHIRT: Oh yeah, you're actually SAVING $25! It's almost criminal to sell me so low. こんなに安く売ってくれるなんて、犯罪に近いよ。

BRIDGET: Well that's your brain on discounts. ブリジッド:それは、あなたの脳が割引を受けることです。 Because that's just another way of saying...I'm SPENDING $20 instead of $12. なぜなら、それは別の言い方をすれば...私は12ドルの代わりに20ドルを費やしているのだから。

JED: [Reaction sound/or says something]

$45 SHIRT: [TONE IS SOMEONE CAUGHT IN A LIE, BACK PEDDLING]: Well, I mean (awkward laugh).

BRIDGET: And here's another thing. There's a chance the store always knew it wasn't going to sell you that shirt at $45. そのシャツが45ドルでは売れないと、店側がずっとわかっていた可能性もありますね。 They were always going to try to sell it to you for $20, but when you see the original price is $45, you get really excited to buy it for the “lower” price. 彼らはいつも20ドルで売ろうとしていたのに、元の価格が45ドルであることを知ると、"安い "値段で買うことに興奮する。 And you're not thinking about whether the now $20 shirt is actually worth the extra 8 bucks you're paying because you didn't buy the $12 shirt. そして、12ドルのシャツを買わなかったために、今20ドルのシャツが本当に8ドル余分に払う価値があるのかどうか、考えていないのです。

PICKUP JED: Ugh. They got me. We should make sales illegal. 販売を違法にすべきです。

PICKUP BRIDGET: Uhhh, well, about that. Actually, there REALLY was a store....that once tried to get rid of sales. I won't name names but...they were like:

HUCKSTER VOICE: Hit the road, SALES! HUCKSTER VOICE:Hit the road, SALES! From this day onward, we're gonna start off pricing everything at its ACTUAL, low low price! 今日から、すべてのものを実際の低価格で提供することにします! Our customers don't need sales stickers. [SAID WITH DISGUST] They'll just know we're giving them quality merchandise at a decent cost! No more horsefeather discounts! No more tricks! I reckon we'll become the most popular store of all time! 歴代の人気店になるんじゃないかと思うくらい!