Why $9.99 Feels Cheaper Than $10

Here’s a glitch in your brain: $9.99 feels cheaper than $10 — even though it’s literally

one cent apart. Your brain doesn’t read numbers — it samples them. It sees the

leftmost digit first and quietly files $9.99 as ‘ nine-something.’ Statistically, that one-cent drop

moves a price into a lower psychological category. In your head, it’s not $10 —

it’s ‘ under ten.’ Marketers call this ‘ charm pricing.’ It boosts sales by up to 24%

— all because your brain rounds before it thinks. So yes, you paid ten

dollars — but your brain celebrated saving one cent.