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Showing posts from February, 2019

Do you fall for $ 2.99...?

Onion - Rs.14.95/kg; Tomato - Rs. 9.95/kg;  Kashmir Apple - Rs. 99.95/kg. When we enter a Mall or a Super Market or any grocery mart for that matter, we can see the above type of pricing for almost all products. When you buy just a kg of onion and pay Rs. 15, are you going to get back Rs. 05 (5 paise) as the balance change? NO. Then why price it as Rs. 14.95 instead of the honest price of Rs. 15/kg? This is what is universally known as 'psychological pricing'. This is designed to play on your emotion rather than rational thinking. It aims to make you (the customer) believe that the actual pricing is lower than what you rationally think it is! To attract the customer. Today, this type of pricing is prevalent in most of the products across all product-mix. Though most of us realize the fact, we still fall for it. It is proved by a statistical study. That is why traders still continue to do the pricing thus. Our mind perceives the 'first left digit' as the price point.

Do you have Plan B..., Plan C...?

It is said that 'those who fail to plan, plan to fail'. So, it seems that it is essential for everyone to plan things ahead. Even for mundane things, we need to make a plan. Planning for anything to do is mandatory now. Okay, you have made your plan, alright! But when it is executed, do you think everything goes as per your plan 'verbatim'? Invariably 'a BIG NO'. Because the happenings around you, do not depend on your plan. You do not have any control over what happens around you, which affects your plan, most of the time. Then, why to plan, at all? If you do not plan at all, the things that happen could be even more disastrous; that is why. When you plan, you would at least know where you have failed in your plan and what has not happened according to your plan. You have some guidelines to do a course correction. But if you do not have any plan for that matter, you are more than sure to fail 99% of the time. Some people get terribly upset, the moment the

Can you bend it like Beckam...

A recent statute passed in Indian Parliament grants 10% reservation for the 'Economically Weaker' section. The eligibility criterion is that the total income of the family should be below Rs. 8 lakhs in a year. A person states thus: His father is earning around Rs. 70 lakhs in a year. His mother is a home-maker (no income!). Suppose his parents get a divorce, and this guy lives with his mother (with no plausible income), will he be eligible for a medical seat under the reservation quota? That is the question posed to a consultant. 'Yes', is the answer. And if the alimony his mother gets in a year should be less than Rs. 8 lakhs. The idea is that, after he gets the medical seat, his parents will re-marry. The 'divorce and re-marriage' idea is only to thwart the statute provision. What a shameful idea! Whatever be any legislation to help those who really need it, there are people to subvert and take undue advantage of it. They bend any rule to their advantage.