1773 Lie to Me

I was listening to an ad on the radio the other day. It reminded my how contrary we humans can be. We hold on to our beliefs despite complicating things like facts.
The ad was for J.C. Penney. They were trying to make the case they have everyday low prices. They don't do like other retailers, they said, and mark things up just to mark them down.
A noble attempt at refreshing honesty. But unfortunately, doomed to failure. Penney's is destined to join the ranks of other giant retailers who tried the same strategy and failed. K-Mart, Sears, all the biggies have made the attempt.
But the public isn't buying.
Literally.
Because it's not just the more honest you are the more you make folks suspicious. It's that they'd much rather you marked it up just to mark it down. It's the appearance of a deal they want. Not an actual deal. The consumer likes to think that something was higher and you slashed the price.
It gives them satisfaction.
Like the psychological tests that proved people loved it when you flattered them. No matter how much you were obviously faking it. Test subjects were told they were going to be lied to with flattery and they still ate it up. Likewise recent studies showing placebo drugs worked quite effectively. Even with the drug takers were told the drug was a placebo.
So nice try J.C. I appreciate the sentiment. I get really sick of sale signs. And all that printing, paper, and ink has got to have an environmental cost. But the truth is we love to be lied to, if the message we hear is the message we want to hear.
Why else would politics and the stock market be such big money makers?
America, ya gotta love it.