My friend was reaching for a donut and salivating for the freshly-glazed beauty when…

She bit into it.

And realized that it was a BAGEL.

Now, you might love bagels. I do. But if you thought you were about to take a huge bite out of a Krispy Kreme donut, and it ended up being a plain, doughy bagel - there is truly nothing more disappointing.

I thought of this today because I was waiting in the lobby of an office building, and saw a clear tumbler vase filled with gold foiled things. For a second, I thought they were bite-sized Snickers bars. 

I excitedly took a step toward the concierge desk, and realized that the “candy” was gold foil paper rolled and stuffed into the vase as a decoration.

I don’t even like Snickers bars. But I felt robbed.

If you can, prevent your customers from thinking they are getting one thing, when what you’re giving them is actually less exciting.