Five Guys is a fast-food restaurant famous for their artery-clogging menu. They have delicious hamburgers and fresh french fries. They also deploy a sophisticated psychological ploy that helps make their food even more irresistable.
When you order french fries, the person filling your order will take out the paper cup. They will fill the cup with fries. They will then open the paper bag and place the cup in the bag. They will then take another small scoop of fries and throw that in over the top of the cup so that they spill over into the bag.
That extra flourish at the end gives you the illusion of getting something for nothing. Who doesn't like free? While they have likely priced the serving to include the additional fries, they still leave the customer with the impression that they are receiving more value for their money.
Over the weekend, I read an article that discussed two ways of describing the same quarter-pound hamburger. One version sold the burger as a standard menu item. The other called it an "extra large." It turns out that people felt like they were getting more of a bargain when the burger was described as greater than normal (even though the serving was exactly the same size).
It's interesting to note how much our perception of value drives our purchasing decisions.
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