10 Ways Stores Make You Spend More During the Holidays

They Mix High-Cost Items With Regular-Priced Goods

The holiday season is a popular time for some retailers to mix luxury items with other products so pricing on regular items looks much more reasonable by comparison, Sanders said. This tactic is one of the spending triggers that can put you in the red.

Neiman Marcus’ annual Christmas Book includes high-end fantasy gifts, which for 2016 included a $500,000 VIP Grammy Awards experience for two and a $120,000 sleepover for 12 at Neiman Marcus.

“Leading off by thinking about these, the Christmas Book browser starts to consider that $895 price for a designer triacetate-and-polyester gown as a little more down to earth,” said Sanders. “The price of the first item considered becomes an anchor for what the shopper expects to pay.”