Does nobody say "Pounds" any more?

[221b]

It gets on my wicket that DFS and PC world and the like say that something only costs 'four nine nine' or is down to 'three nine nine'.

Do we not have a currently any more, then?

Surely it's �499 or �399?

It just seems to be these sort of adverts/shops that do it...

Thoughts?

[pug100]

It may be just that extra syllable is too much to squeeze into the script. The Americans have been doing the same for years.

[221b]

Yes, Pug

I did think that might be a possiblity, but they spout such other twaddle in their ads, I thought they might be able to cut that and anchor their costa in reality for a moment!

Maybe they should use voice software that speeds everything up and they could get everything over with in five seconds flat...

Or maybe that's just wishful thinking.

i can appreciate in the US that they don't bother saying the currency, as most Americans don't even have a passport, so probably little conception of a Euro or any other currency!

I can't wait for DFS NOT to have a bloomin sale and give me some peace...

[trakcab]

DFS only has two sales a year, the January-June spring sale and the July - December winter sale.

[Llamatron]

'Three nine nine pounds' sounds weird so it's either 'three nine nine' or 'three hundred and ninety nine pounds'.

Advertising time is expensive and large amounts of money are scarey so they keep it short to spend more time misinforming the populace about computers or flogging sofas and to avoid dwelling on the price.

[221b]

If only it were �500 instead of 499 or �300 instead of 299 then they'd save all the syllables faffing about with the '99' bit.

Or maybe then, my sofa would just cost '5'...

Because obviously PC Planet and DFS are so hard up, they can't fork out for the other second it takes to say Pounds we have to suffer their cheap and nasty adverts - I must say, they can't be that hard up as they seem to be advertising on my telly at every ad break imaginable...

Yours in anticipation of the 'DFS January to December unrepeatable, single, exclusive, one-off, never-to-be-repeated' SALE...

Yeah right...

221b

[pug100]

My worst adverts are Safestyle windows with the annoying bloke in the green cape shouting
YOU BUY ONE, YOU GET ONE FREE !
whilst pushing over pvc window frames
and Barry Scott and his Cillit Bang

[Katy May]

You might like this then!

http://www.weebls-stuff.com/wab/stains/

[pug100]

Ha spot on!

[tonymclark]

I think as the others have said it is to save time.
Added to which, it is a requirement that the first and last half second of a commercial are silent, so that means only 29 seconds of the 30 are available for audio.

[221b]

If they want to save time, then they should give up the ridiculous convention of 99 then. You can say �500 just as quickly as 499!

Who do they think they're kidding?

They can't be that short of money as tehir adverts appear to be stuck on my telly in a constant loop...

221b

[tonymclark]

The thing is �499 sounds cheaper than �500.
Sad I know, and most people will realise that there is only �1 difference, but why do you think goods are priced in this way?
You hear the 400 pound bit first, rather than think, that's �500.

[221b]

Yes you're right Tony, I know why they do it - it just grinds my gears that they do!

Lots of shops have given up that convention now and just communicate in a straight fashion with their prospective buyers.

The sooner DFS and the like stop insulting people's intelligence the better in my book...

Oh Grrr....