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Ryan_FEO
03.05.09 11:08am
Negotiating a good deal
I’ll be the first to admit I’m one who has the tendency to make buying decisions a little too fast – and if I were to wait a week or so I’d sometimes discover I don’t need the product at all. However, there are times we just need a product or service, and there’s no time to wait for an advertised sale. So you need something as soon as possible and you’ve done the research so you know exactly what you need – brand, model, etc. The problem is it costs too much, and really you would like to spend less.
How about simply asking for a lower price?
It may sound crazy but for some transactions it is almost expected. We know it works when purchasing houses and cars, why not smaller ticket items? It can.
Years ago I worked for a store (that shall remain nameless) selling footwear. We were paid a small commission like most workers in the position are. In addition, sometimes the store ran contests to see how many of a particular brand, model, or type of shoe we could sell in a weekend, for example. Our managers encouraged us to “get the sale”, even if we had to lower our price below advertised. Other times we included free socks in the purchase or the more expensive model.
If negotiating a transaction can happen here, I'm betting it can happen with other types of products or services. It’s at least worth asking, right? What’s the worst thing that could happen, they say no? Oh well, you move on. The salesperson will get mad you asked? Doubtful. If you are truly interested in something and the salesperson picks up on it, many are willing to deal with you.
Do you have any stories of negotiating for a better deal? If so, (without disclosing names) what kind of retailer and product?
DebColby@FirstTech
03.09.09 7:41pm
I always find salespeople are a bit more willing to negotiate during the last two days of month, and especially the last couple days of the quarter. This has worked out well for me when shopping for a car. I generally get pretty good deals and I've bought my last three on March 30, March 31, and June 29, respectively.
Julia and Danny
03.10.09 5:19pm
Ah yes!!! I worked at a used car lot for a couple years and I'll let you in on a little secret...the last few days of the year through the first week of the year are the BEST time to get a good deal. Monthly quotas are one thing and you can sure get a good deal on the last day of any month but YEARLY quotas are even more important!!! But shhhhhh!!! I didn't tell you that!!! ;)
Ryan_FEO
06.16.09 9:09am
MSN Money has a nice article on haggling for a better price- even when you’re at the “big-box” stores. Of course the hardest thing at least for me, is simply to start the conversation and ask for a better price.
Julia and Danny
03.05.09 6:41pm
I take advantage of the "competitor's coupons" deal. We got a great deal on our washer/dryer by scouting out prices from local competition online, printing out something that shows the price and sharing it with our salesperson at our store of choice. It was no hassle and we automatically got the price we wanted at the store we wanted.