Standing in the cleaning aisle this morning, I faced a bewildering array of choices. Each package has a different size, quantity, and price point. Which is actually the cheapest individual tablet?

This confusion isn't accidental. It's weaponised complexity designed to prevent rational economic decisions.

Tim Harford, in The Undercover Economist, exposed how retailers deliberately create information asymmetries. They flood us with irrelevant details whilst hiding crucial ones. Finish has perfected this dark art.

Look at their shelf strategy:

Which one do I choose?

Finish doing their best to confuse us

Each package shouts different benefits: "Deep Clean", "Ultimate Grease Cutting", "Powerball Technology". But nowhere do they make price-per-tablet comparisons easy.

Even Pick n Pay plays along. This photo is from this morning in the V&A Waterfront, where on the shelf instead of helping us by showing price per tablet, they show how many tablets in each packet, the same info branded on the packets.

Why confusion works?

This deliberate obfuscation exploits three psychological weaknesses:

AI to the rescue

Here's where technology becomes your economic weapon. Instead of standing befuddled, photograph the shelf and ask your AI:

"Which is the cheapest individual tablet, and how is this brand trying to manipulate me?"

The AI will calculate price per tablet across all variants, identify the best value, and decode the marketing tactics being used against you.

Suddenly, the manipulation becomes transparent. You'll see how "ULTIMATE" positioning justifies higher prices for essentially similar products. You'll notice how package sizes are deliberately inconsistent to prevent easy comparison.

This isn't limited to dishwasher tablets. Breakfast cereals, mobile contracts, insurance products—each category uses confusion as a profit strategy.

AI democratises economic intelligence. I was instantly able to see through the marketing fog to discover what was best for me.

As Harford observed, "The market economy is extraordinarily good at finding and rewarding efficient solutions. But it's equally good at finding and rewarding ways to confuse customers."

Now that we can instantly decode manipulation tactics, brands will have to compete on genuine merit.

The question isn't whether brands will try to confuse us—they will. The question is whether we will let them win.

Here is the answer from the free version of Grok 3

Prompt: "Which is the cheapest individual tablet, and how is this brand trying to manipulate me?"

To determine the cheapest individual tablet based on the image, let's analyze the pricing and packaging details. The image shows various "Finish" dishwasher tablet products with different pack sizes and prices:

To find the cost per tablet, we divide the total price by the number of tablets:

Based on this calculation, the Finish Ultimate Plus Powerball offers the cheapest individual tablet at approximately 3.56 ZAR per tablet .

How is this brand trying to manipulate me?

Brands like Finish often use various marketing tactics to influence consumer behavior. Here are some strategies that might be at play based on the image and general marketing practices:

  1. Premium Packaging and Branding : The "Ultimate" and "Quantum" labels suggest superior performance, which can create a perception of higher value. The sleek, metallic packaging and bold colors (gold, silver, blue) are designed to catch your eye and imply a premium product, potentially justifying the higher per-tablet cost for larger packs.

  2. Bulk Purchase Incentive : The larger packs (50, 66, and 70 tablets) are priced higher overall but are marketed with "Save Water" labels and eco-friendly messaging, which might appeal to environmentally conscious consumers. This could subtly encourage you to buy more than you need, under the guise of being sustainable or cost-effective over time, even though the per-tablet cost is higher.

  3. New Product Hype : The "NEW" label on some Ultimate Plus Powerball packs creates a sense of urgency or excitement, suggesting an improved formula. This can manipulate you into choosing it over other options, even if the difference might be minimal.

  4. Price Anchoring : The range of prices (159.99 ZAR to 339.99 ZAR) allows the brand to anchor your perception. The 159.99 ZAR pack seems like a bargain compared to the 339.99 ZAR pack, even though the per-tablet cost varies. This can steer you toward the mid-range or larger packs without realizing the best value.

  5. Eco-Friendly Appeal : The "Recyclable Packaging" and "Save Water" labels tap into guilt or a desire to be environmentally friendly, potentially influencing your purchase decision beyond just cost or necessity.

To avoid manipulation, focus on the per-tablet cost and your actual needs rather than being swayed by flashy packaging or environmental claims. If you only need a small quantity, the 45-tablet pack at 3.56 ZAR per tablet is the most economical choice based on the available data.