Believing what we want to believe

Do you need more examples of people believing what they want to believe? Go to your grocery store and head for the produce section. You will see some items priced by the pound and some items priced by the each. Some (most?) stores put up huge numbers next to the products, like "Watermelon 98 cents," then in tiny, microscopic print: "per pound." The unenlightened customer thinks they are getting that watermelon for 98 cents.

Yesterday I had two customers who were dead certain that the items they were buying were one price, when in fact they were another price. One guy bought vine-ripened tomatoes. He was dead certain that the price was $2.18 per bag. In fact they were $2.18 per pound, and he had a large bag, so his price was $5.74. He stubbornly refused to accept that fact, and was incredibly combative.

Another customer thought that oranges were 48 cents each. No, that sign was on the minneolas that were in a bin above the oranges. The oranges were clearly marked 78 cents in each of two bins that contained oranges.

Beware of deceptive signs, and know the difference between "each" and "per pound!"