Question: I'm working with a client whose sole selling point is affordability. They sell at low margins and aim for the cheapest of demographics. 

What are some UX or design decisions I can make to make their visitors feel like they are making a bargain?

Some obvious ones are large text for prices. Perhaps strike through list prices and show discounted prices in red and so on. But are there other ways to achieve "affordability"?

Answer: 
**Without going into dark UX patterns, I'd recommend many of the techniques from <http://www.goodui.org/>**

Some specific examples would be to recommend a specific product instead of treating everything equally ([#7](http://www.goodui.org/#7)), use the anchoring effect on prices or trim the cents ([#41](http://www.goodui.org/#41), [#51](http://www.goodui.org/#51)), or sell in limited quantities ([#36](http://www.goodui.org/#36)).

Another thing to consider would be the the perception your website or storefront has on the prices your customers expect. The concept of *horror vacui* is why low end retailers (like a dollar store) tend to have very cluttered websites or stores with no space left empty while higher end retailers (like Apple) tend to have more minimal pages or storefronts with ample empty space. 

You'll have to decide if you want to create a user experience that leads customers to expect low prices so they know what they are getting, or one that leads to expectations of higher prices (and higher quality) so they are surprised by the prices (and hopefully not disappointed by the quality).
Study your users
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The only way to answer this question is user research. Every target audience has their own preferences when it comes to this kind of problem (perceived value). Some demographics will respond to big red prices with "original" prices slashed out; some will favor a focus on product details and imagery, with price as a secondary data point primarily used for filtering. In some cases, choice is part of making the experience sticky; in others, it will just kill your conversion rate.

Get to know your users and draw up some representative user experience maps. Once you understand what motivates them and what they hope to find when shopping in your space, the details will fall into place.

Job security
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Fortunately for the design and UX community, there is no single answer to this question. Doing your homework and truly designing for *your* audience is what separates the big converters from the pretty websites.