Why Popcorn Costs so Much at the Movies or Unlimited Power

Why Popcorn Costs So Much at the Movies: And Other Pricing Puzzles

Author: Richard B McKenzi

Why Popcorn Costs So Much at the Movies, And Other Pricing Puzzles unravels the pricing mysteries we encounter every day.

Have you ever wondered why all movies, whether blockbusters or duds, have the same ticket prices?
Why sometimes there are free lunches?
Why so many prices end with "9"?
Why ink cartridges can cost as much as printers?
Why merchants offer sales, coupons, and rebates?
Why long lines are good for shoppers?
Why men earn more than women, around the globe - and why they always will?

Richard McKenzie goes on to show how the 9/11 terrorists still kill Americans every day, because their attack distorted the perceived risks and relative prices of air vs. automobile travel, and jacked up both security costs and flight delays. Professor McKenzie also explores the unintended consequences of well-meaning efforts to spur the use of environmentally friendly fuels: starvation among millions of people around the world, and the destruction of rainforests in Malaysia and Indonesia.

How can these things be? If you think you know the answers, think again. Why Popcorn Costs So Much at the Movies, And Other Pricing Puzzles shows you that the real reasons are sophisticated and surprising - and in Professor McKenzie's hands, both informative and entertaining.

You won't need a degree in economics to enjoy this fascinating book, just an armchair and an inquiring mind.

Table of Contents:

Preface: How Prices Matter

Ch. 1 Price And The "Law Of Unintended Consequences" 1

Ch. 2 Pricing Lemons, Views, and University Housing 29

Ch. 3 Why Sales 57

Ch. 4 Why Popcorn Costs So Much at the Movies 79

Ch. 5 Why So Many Coupons 101

Ch. 6 Why Some Goods Are Free 113

Ch. 7 Free Printers and Pricey Ink Cartridges 143

Ch. 8 Why Movie Ticket Prices Are All the Same 159

Ch. 9 Why So Many Prices End With "9" 177

Ch. 10 The Economics of Manufacturers' Rebates 195

Ch. 11 The Psychology and Evolutionary Biology of Manufacturers' Rebates 211

Ch. 12 The Question of Queues 233

Ch. 13 Why Men Earn More on Average Than Women - And Always Will 263

Bibliography 291

Subject Index 319

New interesting book: House of Rothschild or Material World

Unlimited Power: The New Science of Personal Achievement

Author: Anthony Robbins

IT'S NOT ABOUT POWER OVER OTHER PEOPLE. IT'S ABOUT POWER OVER YOURSELF!

Yes, you can do, have, achieve, and create anything you want out of life. Anthony Robbins has proved it. Robbins, the undisputed master of the magic of mind power shows you in this audio program how to harness yours. He demonstrates—passionately and eloquently—that whatever you think will be, that your state of mind determines what you can and can't do, and that all successful results can be modeled and duplicated. His enthusiasm is contagious as he shows you how to:

• Reprogram your mind in minutes to eliminate fears and phobias
• Fuel your body with spectacular health and energy
• Dramatically improve your interpersonal relationships
• Become a persuasive communicator and create instant rapport with anyone you meet
• Use the success of others to remodel yourself
• Discover the five keys to wealth and happiness
• Master the ultimate success formula

Robbins calls Unlimited Power the new science of personal achievement. You'll call it the best thing that ever happened to you.

Publishers Weekly

This is a comprehensive and intelligent success achievement program for setting and following through with personal and professional goals by the California behaviorist who popularized the method of "neurolinguistic programming'' (NLP), or control of mind over body, culminating in his trainees' barefoot jaunt over hot coals. Essential to Robbins's "Ultimate Success Formula'' are clarity of desired goals, energy, passion, persistence of action, effective communication skills and altruistic motives. His is a success prescription based on realistic and sophisticated ideology, best suited for those who have already "got what it takes'' and simply have yet to make it happen. (July 31)

Library Journal

Robbins argues that by using a new technique called neurolinguistic programming (NLP) anyone can become successful at almost anything. NLP teaches us how to communicate success to ourselves. One of the best ways to do this is to model ourselves on people who are successful: Think, act, and speak like a success and you are on the way to being one. Despite much helpful material (even regarding nutrition), this book scarcely acknowledges the limitations that exist in people's lives. Of course, the whole thrust of NLP is to learn to focus on one's power and not on one's limits. But the text is too wordyit reads like a transcript of a series of talksand it also needs more structure and organization. Though it strives to be upbeat and encouraging, Unlimited Power still leaves mixed feelings. John Moryl, Yeshiva Univ. Lib., New York