You are standing in front of shampoo.

Three bottles.

Basic: $4.99
Advanced Repair: $7.99
Professional Ultra Restore: $14.99

The first feels a little too plain.
The last feels ambitious.
The middle feels… reasonable.

You did not splurge.
You did not settle.
You exercised judgment.

That reaction has a name. It is called price anchoring.

When several pricing tiers are offered, the most expensive option sets the ceiling. The least expensive sets the floor. The middle begins to look like good judgment.

Retailers use this deliberately.

The most expensive version is not always expected to sell the most. Sometimes its job is to make the middle option look affordable. The least expensive version makes the middle look higher quality.

When three tiers are present, the middle often feels like the safe choice.