Merchants use price anchoring all the time: they show a "regular" price crossed out next to a sale price to make the discount feel larger. Anchoring exploits the brain's tendency to evaluate value relative to the first number it sees. It's common to perceive a $200 jacket at $120 as a great deal because your brain was anchored by $200 — even if $120 is still more than you'd normally spend. Defensive shoppers check price history, consider how often they'll use an item, and ask whether they'd buy at full price. For digital purchases, bundling and drip pricing (add-on fees revealed late in checkout) are cousins of anchoring that increase final cost. This question asks what anchoring is — pick the option that concisely defines the tactic in consumer terms.