Sales-speak decoder Sold under many names

Price anchoring

Starting with a deliberately high “list” or “retail” number so every discount from it feels like a win — the setup behind “$60,000, but today $34,000.”

What it means for you

Your defense is to ignore the anchor entirely. The starting number is chosen to make the final one look generous; only the final installed price per window, compared against other real quotes, tells you anything. A big percentage off a big made-up number is still just a framing trick.

Where you'll see it

The top of most in-home price presentations.

Don't be fooled

The “was” price is a prop. Divide the final price by your window count and compare that across bids — not the discount.

Also sold as: anchor price

Related terms

Defined by Marc Hanley

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