How They Get You

Economics is mass psychology. When enough people feel the same way about something, and act on that, it changes the world. Markets shift. Prices jump. Toilet paper disappears from super-market shelves. It can be manipulated for profit, too.

That’s what this book is about. Not economics as a theory. Economics as a trap we’re all falling into a hundred times a week.

Sure, you’re familiar with things like subscriptions, loyalty programs and buy now, pay later, but have you ever stopped and thought, Do I recognise this thing anymore?

It’s worth doing, because it usually leads to the best consumer question of all: ‘How is this thing getting me?’ The answers, unfortunately, are both fascinating and infuriating.

This book is about how everyday systems – from toll roads to gift cards – have quietly evolved into much sharper tools that separate us from our money. Some do it with fine print. Some with friendly interfaces. Some with psychological manipulation.

But they all do it.

And let’s be honest, this stuff is exhausting.

‘Hey, go and review your insurance premium and your variable mortgage interest rate.’ A sentence like that hits you in the face like a pie. I hate saying it. It ruins your day.

So, we all do this thing – this lovely, necessary, daily thing – where we stick our fingers in our ears so we can cope. But the problem is, it’s getting worse. Ignoring the way businesses separate you from your money is getting more expensive.

What happened? Have you messed up? No, you haven’t. Two things broke the system: inflation and commerce. Inflation blew a hole in our mental pricing radar. Nobody really knows what stuff is ‘supposed’ to cost anymore. $7 coffee? Sure . . . I suppose . . . I don’t want to make a scene, but that seems like a lot.

$650 a month for health insurance? I guess that’s just . . . the price of not dying now. $3.50 for a tomato? Okay, I’ll take half.

Meanwhile, plenty of businesses saw costs going up and did what plenty of businesses do – they passed them on. And then found a dozen new ways to pass them on again.

Because, if there’s one universal business law, it’s this: they think about you a lot more than you think about them. There are entire teams whose job it is to figure out how to get you to pay more – and feel okay about it.

Marketing, strategy, customer experience, conversion funnels, journey mapping, frictionless interfaces: all of it designed to turn your day into billable moments.

So, is this book just a long rant about rip-offs? Yes. Kind of. But an entertaining one.

I’ve been a business journalist for years and that means seeing how the sausage gets made, which can be gross. But an important disclaimer: I don’t hate business and you shouldn’t either. Hate bullshit instead. Profit is not evil. Making money is good. But the way some companies do it, and some of the tactics that are becoming standard – that deserves a little sunlight.

This isn’t a self-help book. It might not save you a thousand dollars or help you ‘hack’ the system. But it might make you a bit more sceptical. A bit more alert. A bit more inclined to say, ‘Hang on . . . what’s going on here? I don’t like that.’

I don’t have all the answers. But here’s what I think:

When you feel pressured – you can always pause.

When you feel trapped – there’s usually a better deal. When you feel wronged – you can complain. Loudly. Ideally, in writing, to agencies that listen and have powers to investigate and litigate, if necessary.

Because, while customers aren’t always right, they do have rights. And look, yes, I’m selling you a book about how people try to sell you things. But at least I’m telling you that’s what I’m doing.

I promise not to sign you up for a subscription.

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