Letter: Pound-foolish

Sir: One of the traditional reasons for pricing goods with a 99p, rather than a full pounds 1 price tag (letter, 11 August), is that the customer will wait for the 1p change, thereby forcing the sales assistant to ring the sale through the till instead of being tempted to pocket the money.

These days, though, rather than hanging around for a penny, the customer is more likely to hold on for the receipt, in order to ensure a refund if later required. Thus the same end is achieved. However, ever since Marks & Spencer abolished the 99p price point, I keep reading about how expensive people think they are. Penny-wise, pound-foolish, perhaps?

ADRIAN RONDEAU

Wickford, Essex