NIFTY, NOT THRIFTY
Five tricks Wetherspoons use to make you spend more, according to a marketing expert – from the menu to staff language
They enlist some clever tactics to get you to drop more cash when you're behind those doors
THEIR prices are cheap as chips, but somehow the bill in a Wetherspoon's can seem like a lot.
So just how do they get you to spend more money once you're in?
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According to marketing expert Jade Jordan, there are five nifty tricks Wetherspoons use to get you to drop more on their food and beverage offerings.
Firstly, staff are pros at asking "closed questions".
"Staff at Wetherspoons are trained to upsell onion rings with their burgers, by asking ‘how many’ rather than ‘do you want’," Jade, from digital marketing agency , explained.
"This gives customers the choice of two upsells, rather than a decision."
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Another closed question involves staff asking "do you want a double or do you want a single?" about a customer's spirits order "front loads the question with double, making that a ‘reference’ point in the customers mind".
This then means they are "more likely to opt for it".
The third tactic they use is on their menus, and it's worth looking out for next time you go to a Wetherspoons.
"Many menus omit the £ sign when listing their prices," Jade said.
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"This isn’t for design reasons, but it is purely a way to convert more customers into ordering, as studies show that removing the sign disassociates the money from numbers, so you don’t feel like you’re spending money.
"Without it, the price and number are less meaningful."
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However, whenever they have a deal or promotion on, they will use a pound sign, to draw customers' attention.
Another menu trick Wetherspoons uses is to put their most profitable drinks and foods in the upper right corner and the middle of the menu.
This is because research has shown that's where customers start their browsing - so it's the perfect place for pubs to put their "strategically high margin items", Jade added.
How can I save money at Wetherspoons?
FREE refills - Buy a £1.50 tea, coffee or hot chocolate and you can get free refills. The deal is available all day, every day.
Check a map - Prices can vary from one location the next, even those close to each other.
So if you're planning a pint at a Spoons, it's worth popping in nearby pubs to see if you're settling in at the cheapest.
Choose your day - Each night the pub chain runs certain food theme nights.
For instance, every Thursday night is curry club, where diners can get a main meal and a drink for a set price cheaper than usual.
Pick-up vouchers - Students can often pick up voucher books in their local near universities, which offer discounts on food and drink, so keep your eyes peeled.
Get appy - The Wetherspoons app allows you to order and pay for your drink and food from your table - but you don't need to be in the pub to use it.
Taking full advantage of this, cheeky customers have used social media to ask their friends and family to order them drinks. The app is free to download on the App Store or Google Play.
Check the date - Every year, Spoons holds its Tax Equality Day to highlight the benefits of a permanently reduced tax bill for the pub industry.
It usually takes place in September, and last year it fell on Thursday, September 14.
As well as its 12-day Real Ale Festival every Autumn, Wetherspoons also holds a Spring Festival.
You might prefer to go up to the bar to order a drink, but lots of customers these days use mobile apps to put in their orders.
And the app is one of the ways companies can encourage customers to spend more.
"Ordering apps know the perfect items to promote, and are never too busy serving to upsell," Jade continued.
"Apps also remove face-to-face transactions, online ordering removing customers’ fear of negative judgement, leaving them free to order whatever they want."
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