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10 stories
Marketing Speak, Decoded
I knew how influence worked. I still gave experts too much of the vote.
A salesperson can be trained to lead a conversation. A trusted adviser can shape it for years. The difficult part is knowing when expertise is informing the decision—and when it has become the decision.
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Worth Knowing
I’ll buy something I don’t need. But I will not pay for shipping.
Free shipping doesn’t just change the delivery fee. It can change what we buy.
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Learned the Expensive Way
Is airline status worth what you do to keep it?
Shorter lines are useful. Rearranging your life to keep them is another question.
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Worth Knowing
I loved it too much to use it.
The strange way saving something can make an ordinary evening feel less deserving of it.
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Worth Knowing
Healthy Has a Dress Code
Beige, matte, restrained—and somehow healthy before the ingredient list has said a word.
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Interesting Questions
Why Am I So Much Smarter About Your Problems?
I can solve your problem before dessert. Mine may require a committee.
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Interesting Questions
The same wine got better reviews with a higher price tag.
The liquid hadn’t changed. The experience might have.
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Interesting Questions
Can the color of a pill change how well you think it works?
The capsule had no sedative in it. It did, however, have excellent branding.
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Interesting Questions
My mother always told me not to grocery shop hungry. Was she right?
Maybe the expensive thing you bring into a grocery store isn’t hunger. It’s time.
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Worth Knowing
I regret to inform you that my mother may have been right about “investment pieces.”
Some bags return pleasure. A few return serious money. You should know which one you are buying.
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