So what motivates someone to chase for -- and to spend for -- something they know they won't get?
"People think you need to spend $100 for something good," he said.
The end result is that companies are likely to spend millions for something that is likely to do nothing.
Norman Kornbleuth, an owner of Broadway Panhandler in Manhattan, said his customers are no longer reluctant to spend $200 for something like a classic chef's knife by Wüsthof from Germany or Shun from Japan.
All of that time (and it happens many times each week) I spend looking for something could be put toward some other work project that would allow me to be a better performer, with a higher ceiling on my compensation.
The beauty of the tontine feature is that it frames the health insurance purchase as a smart investment rather than a way to spend money for something the customer doesn't think he needs.
Most don't want to spend more for something they can buy for less at H&M or Forever 21.
But do I really want to spend $250 for something that can play my old mix-tapes?
Think again: who really profited: you, who spent money for something, or the vendor, who gained "50%" of money you could have chosen to not spend instead.
The hours and money Scottish employers have spent preparing for something that may or may not happen has driven many of them to distraction.
And when you think about it, much of our life is spent waiting for something rather than experiencing it, so that waiting becomes an experience in itself, filled with anticipation, annoyance, boredom or fear.
