In my work the fridge is stocked with bottles of sparkling water every morning, and every morning without fail they’re gone within the first hour.
People take 2-3 at a time. They even form alliances to get them.
“Ok if i see them i’ll get you one, and if you see them you get me one. Deal?”
There’s something amazing about scarcity that makes even water and air the most sought after product in the fridge. And they don’t even stop to question it. There’s no time to be spent sitting around debating the appeal of carbonated water when someone else could be getting there ahead of you!
When you’ve won the race and have the motherload sitting in front of you, how many do you take? Knowing full well this is the most sought after product in the fridge. You’re tempted to take more than enough, as many as you can carry, as the threat of other people’s greed fuels the individual greed.
Further to the madness of this behaviour, it’s not as if you’re gaining a massive bargain with these free bottles of sparkling water. They’re Tesco own brand, you can get 6 for €1.39!
Now to be fair it is possible that it is a healthy option without the ‘boring’ taste of water. But still water and air!
The psychology and economics backs it up and you could use scarcity to your advantage.
Thomas Duggan 