Tag it $3.99 Bradley

My Dad and Mom were small town retailers. My father taught me pricing. Open the boxes from UPS, hang-em, steam-em and mark-em up 3 times. And always use the 99 cents scheme.
According to Scot Morris's Book of Strange Facts & Useless Information (1979):
"In 1876, Melville E. Stone decided that what Chicago needed was a penny newspaper to compete with the nickel papers then on the stands. But there was a problem: with no sales tax, and with most goods priced for convenience at even-dollar figures, there weren't many pennies in general circulation. Stone understood the consumer mind, however, and convinced several Chicago merchants to drop their prices--slightly. Impulse buyers, he explained, would more readily purchase a $3.00 item if it cost "only" $2.99." This put pennies in people's pockets.
How far does this long-standing pricing tradition stretch? How about $99 million houses?
Forbes.com came out with their new list of the Worlds Most Expensive Homes. And sure enough, in Hampstead, London, the 28,000-square-foot house on Bishops Avenue has a double staircase and glass elevator for $99 million. Why do I find that weird?
Sherri Chase is asking an even $100 million for her Lake Tahoe listing [also on the list].

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