deadbeats This is the credit industry's term for people who pay their bills fully every month, thus depriving credit companies of interest income. The credit industry considers this a form of theft. price-sensitive customers This phrase is used by marketers and some economists for people who believe "You get what you pay for" and thus think that if they pay more for X than Y, X must be better than Y. It is common to sell a product in two different packages, a cheap but plain one, and a flashy one at a much higher price. The expensive package is aimed at price-sensitive customers. consumer-directed This is used by medical insurance providers to refer to policies that have very high deductibles, so that the "consumers" pay ("direct") more of their own money to the doctors or hospitals.