the practice whereby a retail store advertises a product at an unusually low price, making it appear to be an extremely attractive bargain, for the sole purpose of getting traffic to the store, with few, if any, of the item actually in stock and available for sale; see bait-and-switch tactics.

Insincere offer to sell a product or service at a very low price, used to lure customers in so that they can be switched later to a more expensive product or service.

An illegal practice whereby a retailer lures a customer by advertising goods and services at exceptionally low prices; then, once the customer contacts the retailer, he or she is told the good/service of interest is out of stock or of inferior quality. A salesperson tries to convince the customer to purchase a better, more expensive substitute that is available. The retailer has no intention of selling the advertised item.