承诺最低价的零售店促使顾客多消费的机制
以下是沃尔玛在这家承诺提供最低价格的商店中，用来让你花费更多的 10 个技巧。
英文原文
Here are 10 tricks Walmart uses to make you spend more at the store that promises the lowest prices.第一项：降价标签（Rollback）
第一，降价标签（Rollback）。 它告诉你价格已经下调，但并没有告诉你没有其他商家卖得比这更便宜。沃尔玛将 Rollback 描述为临时降价。原价立即提供了一个对比基准。你看到了相对于该数字的优惠，去核对竞争对手的价格就显得没有必要了。认知跃迁发生于当“比以前低”变成了“当前能买到的最低价”。这是两个截然不同的主张，却巧妙地共享了同一个红色标签。
英文原文
Number one, the rollback sign. It tells you the price has come down. It doesn't tell you that nobody else sells the item for less. Walmart describes rollbacks as temporary reductions. The old price gives you a comparison immediately. You see a saving against that number, and checking a competitor starts to feel unnecessary. The leap happens when lower than before becomes lowest available. Those are two different claims conveniently wearing the same red sign第二项：数字电子价签
第二，数字电子价签。 它们用电子显示屏取代了纸质标签，使核准价格的更新更加迅速。沃尔玛表示，货架价格对站在它面前的每个人都是一样的。它还表示，数字标签展示的是集中核准的价格，而非自行决定价格。那么同一件商品怎么会有两种价格呢？沃尔玛表示，由于本地成本、竞争及其他市场条件，各门店之间的价格可能存在差异。实际问题在于，价格是与此时此店中的这件商品相关联的。记住其他地方更便宜的价格，并不会让这里的价格与之匹配。标签可能是电子化的，但真正有用的疑问依然极为传统：我实际被收取的金额是多少？
英文原文
Number two, digital price tags. These replace paper labels with electronic displays, making approved prices quicker to update. Walmart says the shelf price is the same for everyone standing in front of it. It also says digital labels display centrally approved prices rather than deciding them. So how can the same item have two prices? Walmart says prices can differ between stores because of local costs, competition, and other market conditions. The practical issue is that a price is attached to this item in this store at this time. Remembering a cheaper price somewhere else doesn't make this one match it. The label may be electronic, but the useful question remains wonderfully old-fashioned. What am I actually being charged?第三项：知名品牌旁的 Great Value 自营产品
第三，知名品牌旁边的 Great Value。 货架直观展示了沃尔玛的低价形象。这边是熟悉的包装，那边是沃尔玛自营更便宜的品牌。这可以是一种明智的替代选择。一个产品不会仅仅因为广告预算更大就变得更好。但此时你已经在沃尔玛内部节省了开支，于是沃尔玛在其他商店甚至还没参与比较之前，就已经赢得了这场对比。
假设你换成了更便宜的麦片。随后你可能会觉得多拿一件其他东西更踏实，因为你在日常杂货上已经精打细算过了。在一件商品上省下的钱，变成了在下一件商品上放松警惕的许可。设想一盒 12 盎司标价 3 美元，旁边是一盒 18 盎司标价 4 美元。3 美元那一盒赢得了总价数字的对比，但按每盎司算为 25 美分，而较大盒每盎司约为 22 美分。把两个价格放在同一尺度上，哪一个看起来更便宜就会发生改变。包装总价回答的是另一个不同的问题。
相关细节依然重要：包装大小、配料，以及你是否真的喜欢。一盒没人吃的廉价麦片并不算真正划算。Great Value 不需要击败各处的所有替代品，它可以强化你已经在精打细算购物的感受，而这恰好正处于沃尔玛希望你继续消费的地方。
英文原文
Number three, Great Value beside the brand name. The shelf gives you an easy demonstration of Walmart's cheap price image. Here's the familiar package, and here's Walmart's own brand for less. That can be a sensible substitution. A product doesn't become better simply because its advertising budget is bigger. But now you've made a saving inside Walmart, so Walmart has won the comparison before another store even enters it. Suppose you switch to the cheaper cereal. You may then feel more comfortable adding something else because you've been careful with the groceries. The saving on one item becomes permission to relax on the next. Imagine a twelve-ounce box for three dollars beside an eighteen-ounce box for four dollars. The three-dollar box wins the big number comparison, but each ounce costs twenty-five cents against about twenty-two cents in the larger box. Putting both prices on the same scale changes which one looks cheaper. The package price was answering a different question. The relevant details still matter: package size, ingredients, and whether you actually like it. A cheaper box that nobody eats isn't especially economical. Great Value doesn't have to beat every alternative everywhere. It can reinforce the feeling that you're already shopping intelligently, right where Walmart wants you to keep shopping第四项：药房专程引流
第四，专程前往药房。 沃尔玛宣传精选的 30 天仿制处方药起价 4 美元，附带限制条件且某些州存在价格差异。你定期需要的物品上的低价，给了你再次光顾的理由。你已经为了处方药来到那里，顺便买牛奶就省去了再去另一处经停。接着你又想起了洗衣液，可能还有一直打算买的电池。一趟差事变成了多笔消费。
这种便利性确实很有价值。这也意味着沃尔玛不需要每次都说服你专门安排一次新的购物行程。药房提供了来店的理由，一旦你进入店内，其余商品便触手可及。
假设与你平时的选择相比，药房之行替你省了 6 美元。在离开的路上，你加购了一件原本没打算买的 12 美元商品。你保住了这 6 美元的优惠，但总开销总体上依然增加了 6 美元。即使处方药本身非常划算，商店也能从搭售的商品中获益。真正的优惠能引你进门，却不会限制你推向收银台的商品数量。
英文原文
Number four, the pharmacy trip. Walmart advertises selected 30-day generic prescriptions starting at $4, with conditions and some state price differences. A low price on something you regularly need gives you a reason to return. You're already there for a prescription. Picking up milk saves another stop. Then you remember laundry detergent, and perhaps the batteries you've been meaning to buy. One errand becomes several purchases. That convenience can be valuable. It also means Walmart doesn't have to persuade you to make a fresh shopping trip every time. The pharmacy supplies the reason to arrive, and the rest of the store is available once you do. Say a pharmacy trip saves you $6 compared with your usual option. On the way out, you add a $12 item you hadn't planned to buy. You've kept the $6 saving, but your spending has still risen by $6 overall. The store benefits from what joins the prescription, even when the prescription itself is a good deal. A genuine saving can bring you through the door without limiting what goes through the checkout.第五项：收银台旁的糖果陈列
第五，收银台糖果。 你绝不是为了买一小块巧克力棒而开车去沃尔玛的。这恰恰就是它的摆放位置为何如此重要的原因。在收银台前，你的距离足够近以便顺手拿取，你已经做好了付款的准备，并且正在等待且几乎无事可做。在购物清单表面上已经完成后，该产品获得了另一次被选中的机会。
在装满食品杂货的推车旁边，一份小零食显得微不足道。你仔细比较了洗涤剂，所以随手加一份零食可能会让你觉得这是对自己精打细算的奖赏。诱人的物品就在眼前，而且在那个节点上，同意购买几乎毫不费力。糖果货架等待的是那些主动去寻找糖果的人；而收银台的陈列则面向其余的所有人。你的购物之旅即将结束，但商店更希望能在此之上再挤进一句话。
英文原文
Number five, checkout candy. You didn't drive to Walmart for one small chocolate bar. That's precisely why its location matters. At checkout, you're close enough to pick it up, you've already committed to paying, and you're waiting with little else to do. The product gets another chance after the shopping list has apparently finished. A small treat also looks insignificant beside a cart full of groceries. You carefully compared detergent, so adding one snack may feel like a reward for having done the sensible work. The tempting object is right there at a moment when saying yes takes almost no effort. The shelf in the candy aisle waits for people who go looking for candy. The checkout display gets to ask everybody else. Your shopping trip has an ending. The store would prefer to squeeze one more sentence into it第六项：自助结账界面的广告与注意力分散
第六，自助结账。 你扫描商品，装入袋中，再处理下一件。你的注意力一次只跟随一件商品的任务。结账屏幕同时也是零售商控制的显示载体，沃尔玛连接（Walmart Connect）已经在这些屏幕上投放广告。一个你完成购买的地方，变成了品牌触达你的另一个场所。广告并不需要立即催促你跑回过道挑选，它可以在你的脑海中为下一次光顾埋下一件产品。
付款时刻依然是销售环境的一部分。与此同此，准确扫描与核对总额是两项不同的任务。机器可以记录每件商品，而你几乎顾不上推车里的东西累积成了什么。有效的区分在于：完成结账流程与审视所购物品。前者发生是因为屏幕要求你这么做，后者则需要你主动集中注意力。
英文原文
Number six, self-checkout. You scan the item, put it in the bag, and move to the next one. Your attention follows the task one product at a time. The checkout is also a screen the retailer controls, and Walmart Connect has offered advertising on those screens. A place where you finish buying becomes another place where brands can reach you. An ad doesn't have to send you running back through the aisles immediately. It can put a product in your head for the next visit. The payment moment is still part of the sales environment. Meanwhile, scanning correctly and checking the total are different jobs. The machine can register every item while you barely consider what the basket has become. The useful distinction is between completing the checkout and reviewing the purchase. One happens because the screen asks you to do it. The other requires your attention第七项：Walmart Plus 会员与沉没成本心理
第七，Walmart Plus。 标准会员资格在加征适用税费前为每年 98 美元或每月 12.95 美元。它提供的权益包括配送与送货，每种服务均有不同的限制条件。一旦你付了费，再次使用沃尔玛就会让你觉得是在物尽其用。去别家买意味着放弃了你的会员权益，哪怕另一家店在这一笔特定订单上有更好的价格。
会员资格改变了哪些成本会显得更为重要。省下的配送费很容易被注意到，而分散在多件杂货上的微小差价却很难一直记在脑海中。设想省下了 7 美元的配送费，但在 20 件杂货的每件上多付了 50 美分。这些微小的差价加起来达到了 10 美元。看得见的运费节省已被购物篮内部的差价所吞噬。要评估该订单，你需要的是各家商店在相同商品及数量下的总到手金额，而不仅仅是配送费用这一项。
如果这些权益契合你的购物方式，确实可以省下真金白银；但你已经支付的会员费并不会让下一个购物篮自动变成最便宜的。沃尔玛出售的是便利，以及成为你默认选择的理由。当决定去哪里购物不再是你每次都要做出的决定时，会员制对企业来说就运转得格外成功。
英文原文
Number seven, Walmart Plus. The standard membership is $98 a year or $12.95 a month before applicable tax. It offers benefits including delivery and shipping with different conditions for each. Once you've paid, using Walmart again can feel like getting your money's worth. Going elsewhere means leaving your benefits unused, even if another store has a better price on this particular order. The membership changes which costs feel important. A delivery charge you avoid is easy to notice. A small difference spread across several grocery items is harder to hold in your head. Imagine avoiding a $7 delivery charge, then paying 50 cents more on each of 20 grocery items. Those small differences add up to $10. The visible delivery saving has been overtaken inside the basket. To judge that order, you need the delivered total from each store with the same products and quantities rather than the delivery line alone. There can be real savings if the benefits fit how you shop, but the fee you've already paid doesn't make the next basket automatically cheapest. Walmart is selling convenience and a reason to become your default. A membership works particularly well for the business when deciding where to shop stops being a decision you make each time.第八项：将门店打造为全方位广告媒介
第八，将门店作为广告载体。 沃尔玛连接（Walmart Connect）销售广告位，通过全店的屏幕、音频和其他体验触达购物者。因此，当你在选购其他东西时，某款产品便能逐渐被你熟悉。你听到了它，再次看到了它，然后在你可以购买它的位置附近遇到了它。
这些展示没有一个在告诉你它是同类产品中最便宜的选择。引人注目与物有所值是两码事。考虑两款你从未尝试过的麦片品牌：一款在本次购物期间曾出现在屏幕和广播中，另一款则只是货架上的一个盒子。当你最终对它们进行比较时，其中一款已经让你觉得熟悉。这种较早的曝光可以在你比较配料、包装尺寸或每盎司单价之前，就已渗透进购买决策中。
商店可以在帮助你寻找商品的同时，将触及你注意力的机会卖给各大品牌。你在一个可能有人付钱来塑造你优先注意到什么的地方，进行着食品杂货的挑选。
英文原文
Number eight, the store as an advertisement. Walmart Connect sells advertising that reaches shoppers through screens, audio, and other experiences around the store. A product can therefore become familiar while you're shopping for something else. You hear about it, see it again, and then encounter it near the point where you could buy it. None of those appearances tells you it's the cheapest choice in its category. Prominence and value are separate things. Think about two cereal brands you've never tried. One has appeared on a screen and in an announcement during this visit. The other is just a box on a shelf. When you finally compare them, one already feels familiar. That earlier exposure can enter the decision before you've compared the ingredients, package size, or price per ounce. The store can help you find products while also selling brands access to your attention. You're comparing groceries inside a place where somebody may have paid to shape what you notice first.第九项：按磅称重商品的计价机制
第九，称重商品计价。 在这里，包装上的数字并不总是一件同规格商品的简单标价。你可能是按磅付费，这使得重量成为了计算的一部分。一项集体诉讼指控某些沃尔玛肉类、海鲜和袋装柑橘类商品的实际花费高于最低宣传价格。沃尔玛否认存在不当行为，并同意支付 4500 万美元达成和解。
更广泛的问题显而易见：巨大的折扣贴纸引人注目，而单价、包装重量和结账总额则需要进行一点算术计算。例如，每磅 4 美元的两磅商品应计为 8 美元。如果记录的重量有误，看起来更划算的每磅单价也无济于事。标签上有几个承担不同职责的数字，若只盯着最诱人的那一个，可能会导致你实际支付的数额未经核实。
英文原文
Number nine, weighed item pricing. Here, the number on the package isn't always a simple price for one identical unit. You may be paying by the pound, which makes the weight part of the calculation. A class action alleged that certain Walmart meat, seafood, and bagged citrus purchases cost shoppers more than the lowest advertised price. Walmart denied wrongdoing and agreed to a forty-five million dollar settlement. The broader problem is easy to see. A large discount sticker attracts attention, while the unit price, package weight, and checkout total require a little arithmetic. For example, two pounds at four dollars a pound should cost eight dollars. A cheaper-looking price per pound doesn't help if the recorded weight is wrong. The label has several numbers doing different jobs. Looking only at the most attractive one can leave the number you actually pay unchecked.第十项：天天平价的心智承诺
第十，天天平价（Everyday Low Price）。 这是贯穿支撑其他九项技巧的核心承诺。沃尔玛希望让低价感觉像是这家商店的一种自带属性，这样你就不必对每件商品逐一探究。
这种信任节省了时间。跨多家商店比较一整车的商品是一项繁重的工作，且开车去每一家店都需要耗费时间和油费。选择一家通常适合你的商店完全合情合理。风险在于将“通常性价比不错”变成了“始终是最便宜的”。沃尔玛的比价政策（Price Match）存在限制，并未提供击败所有竞争对手价格的通用承诺。
降价标签、廉价的自营品牌商品以及便宜的处方药都可以是真实的。但它们依然无法证明你在离店路上随手加购的那副耳机的价格是否便宜。最强有力的技巧不一定是隐藏高价，而是彻底建立起低价声誉，让你不再去过问下一件商品的价格。
好市多（Costco）在截然不同的场景下建立这种信任，依托廉价食品、会员奖励以及充满惊喜的仓储环境。接下来请观看好市多用来促使你增加消费的每一项技巧。