Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Price point (Worn-out language, August 19, 2009 edition)

With my recent addiction to the HGTV and TLC networks, I found a gradual ascent of lingo usage while people shop for big ticket items in a tight budget economy--price point.

"The price point of this house is above our budget."

"I don't like the price point of this item. I won't buy it."

"You set your price point too high to make a profit."

The usage of point after price is an added word without meaning. Each of the above statements is clear without the word point.

Price point is a term used in economics, but as far as I can tell, the colloquial use of this term is not related to its technical use. I'm sure this happens all the time, but in its technical usage, the word point actually adds meaning.

This little annoyance issues a reminder to tighten my own writing.

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