For the source text click/tap here: Bava Metzia 60
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Steinsaltz write”
Who invented loss-leaders? Free giveaways? Sales promotions are not modern inventions – they have been with us since time immemorial.
The Mishna on our daf discusses these kinds of promotions and the permissibility of their use. We find that Rabbi Yehuda forbids a storekeeper from giving out treats to small children, since that will give him an unfair advantage. Similarly, he forbids a storekeeper from lowering his prices to attract clients, since he is taking them from his competitors.
We continue to explore a Jewish theory of economics.