Or the dramatic price slashing on home shopping channels.

My mom called to buy something very early in its presentation and they sold it to her for a much lower price than what was on the screen. We kept watching and the presenter eventually slashed the price down to the amount she paid. Everyone got to buy it for that amount, regardless of when they called. It's just a gimmick to make people think they're getting a deal.

This also happened when the head of Apple Retail left and went to work at JC Penny. He did away with sales and discounts and just listed everything for the reduced price. Sales plummeted. People were buying the same stuff elsewhere for more just because it shown as being on sale or having been discounted from an even higher amount.