Five ways Wetherspoons makes you spend more, according to marketing pros

THEIR prices are dirt cheap, yet the bill at Wetherspoon’s sometimes seems quite high.

How do they get you to spend more money once you’re inside?

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According to marketing expert Jade Jordan, Wetherspoons uses five handy tricks to ensure you spend more on its food and drink range.

First, employees are good at asking ‘closed questions’.

“Staff at Wetherspoons have been trained to sell onion rings with their burgers, by asking ‘how many’ rather than ‘do you want’,” says Jade, from digital marketing agency Adding peopleexplained.

“This gives customers the choice of two upsells, instead of having to make a decision.”

Another closed-ended question has staff ask about a customer’s order: “Would you like a double or a single?” This immediately asks the question, “Would you like a double or a single?”, making it a ‘reference point’ in the customer’s mind.

This means that they are ‘more likely to choose it’.

The third tactic they use is reflected in their menus, worth looking out for next time you go to a Wetherspoons.

“Many menus don’t have the £ sign next to the price,” says Jade.

“This is not for design reasons, but purely a way to encourage more customers to order. Research shows that removing the sign ensures that money is no longer linked to numbers. You don’t feel like you’re spending money.

“Without this information, the price and quantity are less meaningful.”

Whenever there is an offer or promotion, they use a fence to get customers’ attention.

Another menu trick Wetherspoons uses is to place the most profitable drinks and dishes in the top right corner and in the middle of the menu.

Research has shown that this is where customers start their shopping, and Jade adds that it is the ideal place for pubs to place their ‘strategic high margin items’.

How can I save money at Wetherspoons?

FREE refills – Buy a £1.50 tea, coffee or hot chocolate and get free refills. The deal is available all day, every day.

View a map – Prices may vary by location, even if they are close to each other.

So if you’re planning on having a pint at Spoons, it’s worth checking out nearby pubs to see if you can find the cheapest spot there.

Choose your day – Every evening the pub chain organizes certain theme nights with food.

For example, every Thursday evening there is a curry club, where guests can get a main course and a drink for a fixed price, at a lower price than normal.

Pick-up vouchers – Students can often buy voucher books at their local university, which will give them discounts on food and drink, so keep your eyes peeled.

Become an appy – The Wetherspoons app allows you to order and pay for your drinks and food from your table. However, you don’t have to be in the pub to use the app.

Cheeky customers are taking full advantage of this and are using social media to ask their friends and family to order drinks for them. The app is free to download from the App Store or Google Play.

Check the date – Every year, Spoons hosts its Tax Equality Day to highlight the benefits of a permanently reduced tax bill for the pub sector.

Normally it takes place in September, last year it fell on Thursday, September 14.

In addition to the 12-day Real Ale Festival that takes place every autumn, Wetherspoons also hosts a Spring Festival.

You may prefer to go to the bar to order a drink, but these days many customers are using mobile apps to place their orders.

And the app is one of the ways companies can encourage their customers to spend more.

“Ordering apps know which items to promote best and are never too busy offering additional products,” Jade continues.

“Apps also eliminate the need for in-person transactions and online ordering eliminates customers’ fear of negative reviews. So customers can order what they want.”