Buy one breakfast sandwich at full price, get a second one for no extra cost.

用原價買一個早餐三明治，就可以免費再得到一份。

But one customer found that something was off about the deal,

但一位消費者發現其中事有蹊蹺 : 同樣的三明治有兩種價格。

when she was charged two different prices for the sandwich.

When she ordered a single sandwich, the price was $2.16.

當她點了一份三明治，價格是 2.16 美元。

But when she ordered two sandwiches and used the BOGO coupon,

但當她用買一送一券點了兩份三明治時，一份的價格卻是 3.19 美元，多了 1 美元以上。

the price of each sandwich was $3.19–more than a dollar more.

This went on for years before Burger King was sued for overcharging customers.

這情況持續了幾年直至漢堡王因為對顧客超額收費而遭控告。

BOGO is so appealing that it's hard for consumers to see it for what it is.

「買一送一」實在是太誘人了，消費者很難看出蹊蹺。

"Buy one, get one." It's a thinly veiled attempt to convince a customer to buy more than one item at a time.

「買一送一」。它其實是一種幾乎不加掩飾的企圖，用來說服消費者一次不只買一個品項。

For a thrifty shopper, BOGO can sound like the best way to get more bang for their buck,

對於一個節儉的購物者來說，買一送一聽來好似可以幫他們善用每一分錢，但那些優惠往往不如表面划算。

but often it's simply not as good a deal as it appears.

Consumers perceive the quality of a bargain based on the price they pay compared to the original list price.

消費者藉由比較他們的付款和原價來判斷是否划算。

Take this food processor on Amazon for example.

以這個 Amazon 上的食物處理機為例。

The price on sale is $35, an amazing 52% off the $75 list price.

促銷價為 35 美元，也就是原價 75 元下殺 48 折。

The problem is that Cuisinart doesn't list the item for Amazon's regular price

and based on an analysis of tracked prices over time,

問題是，這個食物處理器的公司並未列出它 Amazon 上的原價，且分析過往價格後發現，過去十年內它在 Amazon 上不曾高於 40 美元。

Amazon has never sold it for more than $40 in the past 10 years.

The cheating that goes on is rampant.

這種作弊行為很猖獗。

Retailers are guilty, often, of distorting the regular price, raising the regular price.

量販業者往往會犯下更改、提高原價的不當行為。

And several companies have been caught distorting prices in conjunction with BOGO offers.

許多業者都被抓到在「買一送一」時更改原價。

"The suit accused Visionworks of inflating the price of the first pair of glasses

該案指控 Visionworks 為了部分負擔第二副眼鏡，提高了第一副的價格，使第二副眼鏡實際上根本不是免費的。

to partly cover the costs of the second, supposedly-free pair, making it not actually free."

It can be hard for consumers to tell whether BOGO is fair or deceptive,

消費者很難辨識「買一送一」詐欺與否，且他們的雙眼往往被「免費」二字所遮蔽。

and often their judgment is clouded by one four letter word, "free."

I mean, "free" is a tremendous motivational trigger,

這不難理解，「免費」實在是很大的誘因，消費者又喜歡藉著認為賺到而多買一點。

and they like the opportunity to expand the deal by buying more than one of an item.

Very often consumers don't do the math.

很多時候消費者不會去計算。

Buying more than one item means consumers spend more money than they intended, not less.

「買一送一」意味著消費者會花得比預計的多，而非花得少。

For example, say you want to buy a sweater that's normally $80.

舉個例子，假設你想買一件通常賣 80 美元的毛衣。

Sweater A is listed at a 20% discount.

A 毛衣打八折。

Sweater B is listed at full price, but has a buy one, get one free deal.

B 毛衣則是原價，但是買一送一。

While the second option may get you two sweaters,

雖然選擇 B 毛衣你能夠獲得兩件，但是總共卻花了比買 A 毛衣還要多的錢。

you've just spent more in total than if you just focused on the 20% discount.

Let's say those sweaters are on a buy one get one 50% off deal.

我們再來假設如果第二件半價。

Option 1: you buy one sweater for $80.

選項一：你用 80 美元買一件毛衣。

Option 2: the first sweater would be $80 and the second would be half off.

選項二：第一件毛衣 80 美元，第二件只要半價。

Translated into a straight discount, the total saved from the BOGO deal would be the same as a 25% off deal,

翻成折扣的概念，「買一送一」其實就相當於打 75 折，但是你在同一間店的消費金額提升了，因為你買了兩件商品。

but the amount of money you spend in store has grown, because you bought two items.

Some BOGO deals only apply to items with lesser value.

某些「買一送一」只適用在價格較低的商品。

For example, if you buy that same sweater and a $10 pair of socks, you still pay $80 for your total purchase.

舉例來說，你買了一樣的那件毛衣還有一雙 10 美元的襪子，你總共還是消費了 80 美元。

If you decide to get a sweater and $150 coat,

如果你決定買一件毛衣和一件價值 150 美元的外套，毛衣可以視為免費的，但你還是噴了 150 美元。

the sweater would be counted as the free item and you'd still be shelling out $150.

For most deals, you're better off waiting for the one item you wanted to go on sale

多數情況下，最好的做法還是等你想買的東西降價，而不是趁「買一送一」時購買。

rather than purchasing it through a BOGO deal.

Customers, I won't say "fall for it," but they go for it nonetheless.

消費者⋯⋯ 我不會說他們總是「淪陷」，但他們算總是趨之若鶩。

BOGO disguises the fact that, unless you already intended to buy two items,

「買一送一」掩飾了一個事實 : 除非你本就打算買兩件，不然其實折扣並沒有多少。

it really isn't all that big of a discount.

So BOGO deals can be fantastic, if you're a shopper looking to buy in bulk and stretch your dollar.

所以如果你本就想要花錢盡可能買更多，「買一送一」正適合你。

But for most of us, free isn't always the best option.

但對於我們多數人而言，「買一送一」不見得是最好的選擇。

Well, just do the math.

其實，就是要計算。

If it looks too good to be true, it's too good to be true.

如果看起來實在太划算了，那一定不是真的。