r/psychology • u/Ayesha_reditt • 1d ago
How Flash Sale Trick Your Brain (And How To Stop Falling For Them)
https://www.strimoo.com/blog/Savings-tips/dopamine-trap-flash-sales-psychologyWe've all felt that rush to buy something during a "limited time sale offer." But to tell you the truth those countdown timers are often there to trick your brain, to feel that rush and scarcity.
(Read full article by clicking on the picture)
Have you caught up in those and what makes you buy without thinking?
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u/BituminousBitumin 23h ago
For some reason, implied scarcity has the opposite effect on me. Having been trained in sales psychology early in my life, I found the tactics to be despicable. Whenever I see them, I immediately disengage because I still find them despicable and refuse to engage in business with a company that is attempting to exploit me.
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u/Korean__Princess 1d ago
It catches me at times, but very rarely. The trick stops working when you know why and how they're manipuating you (books, studies), as well as seeing the same LIMITED TIME OFFER!!!!!! BUY NOW!!!!!!!!! for several months straight on the same product nonetheless, and I also like to be pessimistic when it comes to anything capitalism and round up (why are people rounding down most of the time?) the price, and assume/ask how they're manipulating me, which saves me a lot of money.. As well as asking myself if I really need it and sleep on it for days, weeks, months or even years at times if it's particularly expensive, like my last GPU upgrade.
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u/Ayesha_reditt 1d ago
Yes, I feel the same about it now, but I used to caught up in all that, but with time, all those tactics become clear. But I still don't understand how all those big brands are rounding up everything. Their prices are way too high from the start that they have inflated the entire market around it, and when their sale cames, people literally go nuts, and that's what I think is still triggering us and making us buy things on clearance sale or black Fridays etc.
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u/Korean__Princess 1d ago
Yeah, that's where I use sites that show price history (or I just wait until I get a mail about price drop from previous normals), which helps a lot. This SUPER SALE™ thing going on? $1200 which was apparently also $1200 like 6 months ago but they reaised prices just to "drop" then again prior to Black Firday or whatever else? Welp, no thanks I'll just skip it.
It gets way easier when you can outsource the thinking and not rely on your own feelings, but instead look at raw price history data.
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u/Ayesha_reditt 1d ago
That is a very good idea, I think. Can you mention those those sites?
Yes, these are the tricks they use, and creaete unnecessary hype, and honestly, people giveaway their hardearned money to them, like nothing.
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u/mrsfahim_786 23h ago
Flash sales are designed to trigger urgency and FOMO, making us act impulsively. It’s clever marketing that hijacks our brain’s reward system. I’ve definitely fallen for it before, thinking I was saving money—when really, I was just spending faster. Being aware of the tactic helps a lot. Now I pause, breathe, and ask myself: Do I really need this?
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u/BituminousBitumin 23h ago
There's a related adage.
If you buy an item that's on sale from $10 to $5, you haven't saved $5 you have spent $5.
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u/Ayesha_reditt 23h ago
Couldn't relate more honestly. Spending without thinking twice has cost me more than anything, made me more indecisive and unsure about things. In the long run, it makes us doubt our ability, as our bank statement is full of accidents.
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u/ShakaUVM 5h ago
One of my favorite things during the pandemic was looking up hotel prices for the Vegas Strip, which was completely shut down at the time.
All the hotel rooms had "only three beds left!" or "selling fast! 30 bought in the last hour!" next to them. All lies.
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u/No_Worker3244 1d ago
Usually it is that "I won't see that offer again", makes me want to order things mindlessly, and most of the time, those are things that I don't even need.