Your Decoy Defense Kit

When you see three options, cover the middle one. Does the expensive option still feel worth it on its own? If not, the middle was doing the selling. Next, decide your budget before you see options — a price you set in advance is harder for a decoy to move. Finally, ask what you'd pay if only one option existed. That strips away the comparison frame entirely.

The decoy effect isn't evil — it's a tool. Sometimes the larger option genuinely is the best value. But the choice should be yours, not an engineered conclusion. The moment a deal feels "obvious," that's exactly when you should slow down.