A much lighter topic today, even I get tired of talking about politics, ethics, morality and solving the problems of the world. A television commercial came on advertising for Starburst Christmas lighting. The old-fashioned way, stringing lights is just too dangerous, getting up on a ladder and it takes too much time! You need to decorate and get to celebrating as fast as possible!

What really amuses me about that commercial, and others like it, is when they say that there is a strict limit on how many you can order! In the case of Starburst lights, the limit is three. That’s it. So, you’re telling me you are selling a product, for a very limited time given the nature of that product, but limiting the number of sales. You are just trying to be fair, give everyone a chance. Yeah, that’s very generous of you, I admire your business ethics. Well, guess I did mention ethics after all.

I’m just laughing to myself hearing that discussion in the board room. The advertising agency telling the company, if you say they can only buy a few, that there is a strict limit, that will make the product sound far more attractive to the buyers! You will sell more; by selling less! The average consumer won’t be aware of that trick, all they will hear is, I can only buy a few. Remember the Cabbage Patch Kids and that buying frenzy? You can create that same demand by withholding the product. Trust us, we know what we’re doing. It’s demand and supply.

I hear that conversation when I hear those commercials. We are selling a product, but we will limit the amount of that product sold to individual consumers. A strict limit of three per household. I’m selling a lamp, but you can’t buy all my lamps, no way, I’m setting a limit! I’m not going to sell my entire inventory to just one person or household. And not only that, but I’m also only selling those lamps for a limited time. You had better hurry up and order your allotted number because soon, they will be gone.

I am amused by those commercials in much the same way I am amused by commercials promising free this or that. That is becoming quite the popular thing with insurance companies. It’s Medicare enrollment season and those ads are out in full force. You can get a policy without any co-pays, no enrollment fees or premiums to pay plus free money on a card to spend however you like! It’s at no cost to you! We will even send you a preloaded debit card for $1200 a month! Don’t spend it all in this month, just carry over the balance and add it to the next. But hurry, enrollment ends December 7th. A date that lives in infamy! Coincidence? Well, maybe.