Are you being decoyed into paying higher prices?

[VenomJockey]

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20190801-the-trick-that-makes-you-overspend

Excerpt: "When you buy a cup of coffee, you might have noticed that of the three size options – small, medium and large – the medium-sized serving often costs almost as much as the large. Given the apparent bargain, have you ever opted for the biggest and most expensive option?

If so, you have been nudged by a cognitive bias known as the “decoy effect”, in which the deliberate presentation of an additional, slightly less attractive option – in this case, the relatively expensive medium-sized coffee – pushes you to pay out more money than you would have rationally chosen. “If you frame options in a certain way, you can nudge people in the direction of higher-priced products,” says Linda Chang, a psychologist at Harvard University."

 

[backlash]

Marketing, the real enemy of the people. Nothing is by chance, everything is deliberately designed to get people to spend more.
Up sizing is just one example of the tactics. Also why people eat way more than we should.

 

[angie_nrs]

I think packagers have had an easier time of tricking consumers b/c many consumers don't pay attention anymore. I rarely see people in a store with a list, and if I do, it's generally older folks. Many just wander through and throw stuff in the cart. I HATE shopping, so I almost always have a list and buy the specials in the fliers. I try to get in, get my stuff, and get the heck out!

I definitely pay attention to shrinking package sizing and have a calculator in my purse so I can figure out the least expensive packaging option. Many times a smaller package offers the best deal, which really doesn't make much sense. Package sizes may have stayed the same, but the product in the packages have shrunk. I can't buy a 39 oz can of coffee anymore, even though the can size looks the same. The amount of coffee has gone down to 34.5 oz. Also a box of tampons that used to be 40, are now 36, and some have even gone to 34. I wonder if the average consumer has even noticed.

Back to your point VJ, McD's ran a special not long ago.......all drinks $1. I'm sure not many customers ordered a small, when the price of a large was the same. Perhaps it's just to get the consumer used to getting the larger size so when the special is over, they will continue to order the large.

 

[LadyLocust]

I'm with you @angie_nrs I use a list and I'm not thaaaat old. If I don't have a list I leave without getting half the things I need because I don't like shopping so get out asap.
I'm one of those bad people- I don't fall for their ploys. If I get a cup of coffee, it's a treat and I get exactly what I want, the size I want etc. Same goes for appliances, cleaning items, autos, and clothes. I'm also odd in that I just don't buy a lot of things most people buy.