Decision-making in human beings where comparisons are being made is largely based upon upon mental waypoints called anchors. Once an anchor has been set for future comparisons, that anchor is hard to remove from the mind. This process of mental landmarking is called anchoring, and it is a retail salesperson’s greatest weapon. While there is no single tactic to resist the mind’s natural inclination toward anchoring, it pays to know how auto dealers use it for making high prices seem palatable. Knowing may help consumers to step back and check out prices with greater clarity.
An anchor in the auto aisles
A prospective auto buyer who has never heard of anchoring – call her Marcy – walks onto a used automobile lot. The old commuter works, but Marcy wants something new and exciting. Soon she sees it: a beautiful hybrid hatchback. She checks it out from front to back, sits in it and wonders if she may have found her dream vehicle. Yet the sticker price pulls her up from the umbra of her waking dream. The used hybrid costs $ 24,998; she simply cannot afford it.
However, a smiling used car salesman makes his way over. Salesman asks what she thinks, and Marcy shakes her head and says the price is out of range. She loves how she feels when she sits within the hybrid, but cannot get around that ugly price. Then the salesman comes at Marcy with the hook.
‘Don’t worry about that. It is on sale right now for $ 14,000!’
Marcy is elated. Without further thought, she hits the finance office, applies for an auto loans with bad credit and is eventually behind the wheel of her beloved new hybrid. As outlined by You Are not So Smart, however, Marcy has taken the bait for an anchoring con. Marcy didn’t know the true cash value of the car, so the salesperson used anchoring to his advantage. It seemed like such a markdown, but little did she know how the actual value of the car was under $ 10,000. Out of control markup is what Marcy signed up for. Marcy needed an anchor to help her make her purchase decision, and also the salesman obliged. The dealer made out like a bandit, thanks to anchoring.
Haggle, please
Typically, the price we’re willing to pay for an item has very little to do with the elements that would actually contribute toward the specific value of a purchase. Focusing on the manufacturer’s suggested retail price – or in the above scenario, the used auto dealer’s apparent markdown – creates an unrealistic expectation of cost. The dealer works with two prices in an anchoring exercise intended to ensure the buyer.
A dealer given such room to play will part you from your cash. Haggling pulls you away from the concept of anchoring and can make less experienced auto dealers squirm. You have the ability to control your decisions, rather than relying upon anchors. Be prepared with research before you buy a car and haggle for a lower price at each opportunity. Experienced dealers will play ball with such a smart consumer.
Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anchoring
You Are not So Smart
youarenotsosmart.com/2010/07/27/anchoring-effect/
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