Here is an amazing business tactic which I’m sure almost everyone must have encountered sometime in their lives.
So, I’m currently living in Chennai for my undergrad education. I, being from Maharashtra, am used to eating a different kind of food as compared to the one which they have in Chennai. Now, recently I came across a restaurant near our campus which serves ‘thalis’ consisting of food which I love to eat. Hence, my eating at that restaurant has increased greatly.
This how a ‘thali’ looks like
Okay, enough of background story, here comes the business part of the answer now. One ‘thali’ usually costs some 500 Rs. there. However, they have an offer on Tuesday where we get one plate for 250 Rs. Hence, people flock there like crazy on Tuesdays to enjoy this offer.
Now, during the meal, a guy will come with a tray full of drinks like juices, lassi, jaljeera, etc. People, being busy with eating, will notice the tray and immediately take some drink. Most of them think that they are included in the meal. However, when the bill comes, they’ll be charged some 150 Rs. per drink.
The waiters or the manager won’t tell initially that you have to pay for the drinks separately. They’ll just try to push you the drinks and then charge you a stupid amount. The worst thing is, you can’t even argue with them as there will lots of people there and no one likes making a scene.
This tactic is used by many restaurants all over the country, and unless you experience it once yourself, you don’t get the idea of dealing with it.