“Act fast! This is your sign! Last chance!” If marketing lines like these are making money fly out of your wallet, they’re working. Here are tips to help you spot common holiday marketing tactics and avoid impulse spending.
Who we talked to
Life Kit spoke with Brian Vines, a reporter at Consumer Reports, and Lindsay Weekes, editor-in-chief of Brad’s Deals, which curates online promotions. They explain common tricks retailers use — and how to shop smarter.
Technique 1: Creating a sense of urgency
Phrases like “buy now” or “flash deal” are designed to rush you. Retailers want you to act before you think, leveraging fear of missing out. Take a breath. Remind yourself that products and deals often reappear and that waiting can reveal better offers, especially at season’s end. If urgency is the main reason you’re buying, pause — you may not actually want the item.
Technique 2: Calling out the “original price”
Displaying a high “original price” next to a sale price is price anchoring: it makes the sale price look like a bargain. Often that higher price was never the regular price or hasn’t been used for a long time. Ignore the anchor and evaluate the current price on its own — decide if the sale price (for example, $75) is worth it to you, regardless of the crossed-out number.
Technique 3: Inflating the base price
Some retailers raise a product’s base price before a busy season, then advertise a large percentage discount. Because the base was inflated, the discounted price may be the same or even higher than before. This “high-low pricing” can be countered by price comparisons: check historical pricing, search other retailers, and look at secondhand options (especially useful for clothing). In stores, look online for competitor prices and ask sales staff if they’ll match them. Adding an item to your cart and monitoring its price over several days can also reveal whether it’s a genuine deal.
Technique 4: Building a fantasy
Ads sell an ideal — a picture-perfect holiday, the confident version of you, or a flawless family moment — and link that fantasy to products. If you find yourself entering payment details while imagining an idealized scene, stop and ask whether you need that specific item. Gifts don’t have to be store-bought to be meaningful: bake cookies, plan a shared activity, or find a special secondhand find. Thoughtful, low-cost gestures can be as memorable as expensive purchases.
Practical habits to avoid marketing traps
– Wait before buying big-ticket items; give yourself time to reassess.
– Compare prices across retailers and check price history tools.
– Search secondhand markets for like-new items at a fraction of the price.
– Ask for price matching in stores when you find a better offer elsewhere.
– Focus on the real cost and your budget, not the supposed savings shown by anchors or inflated bases.
Credits and contact
Digital editing by Meghan Keane, art direction by Beck Harlan. Send feedback: voicemail 202-216-9823 or email [email protected]. Listen to Life Kit on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and sign up for the newsletter. Follow @nprlifekit on Instagram.