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1922 W. S. Hayward & P. White Chain Stores vii. 109 Many chains have a fixed policy of featuring each week a so-called ‘loss leader’. That is, some well known article, the price of which is usually standard and known to the majority of purchasers, is put on sale at actual cost to the chain or even at a slight loss..on the theory..that people will be attracted to this bargain and buy other goods as well. Loss leaders are often termed ‘weekly specials’.

1942 H. Levy Retail Trade Assoc. xviii. 211 Prohibitions on ‘loss leaders’.

1958 Times 15 Dec. 9/3 No doubt price cutting in individual lines often goes beyond the point where it is justified by reduction in direct cost: it is in part the loss-leader technique. People are attracted into a shop by some very low prices, and buy many other articles which give a handsome margin.

1969 Daily Tel. 7 Mar. 19 Sir Stanley Raymond, chairman of the Gaming Board, said yesterday he was convinced that Bingo was often used as a ‘loss leader’ to induce housewives into ‘hard’ gambling. In many cases Bingo provided only half of the takings in clubs.

1970 Daily Tel. 15 May 21/5 Some would like to see bank charges on personal accounts reduced or abolished, as a ‘loss leader’ to the existing personal customers.

1971 New Scientist 21 Jan. 102/1 The ranks of loss leaders and unrepeatable offers.