December 10th, 2005
Men can also ask for discount!
I browsed through this article at Yahoo Finance and I said to myself that men don’t like to negotiate interms of prices. We seldom ask for discounts or none at all. It’s an ego thing or a man thing. Things like this are only applicable to our better halfs. Well after reading the article it changed my mind. There’s nothing that we can loss. We have the money so we have the upper hand. Remember that whoever has the money, has the power. Read on…
Stop. Don’t just blindly pull out your wallet and pay the asking price. You could get a better deal on just about anything you buy. You have the money — you can be in control.
“Remember on which side of the table the power resides — the side holding the money,”
explains author and money-saving expert Corey Sandler of Nantucket, Mass. He adds, “There’s hardly anything you can buy that there isn’t a better deal than the first price you see.”
In his book Secrets of the Savvy Consumer, Sandler gives three important pieces of advice:
Three rules
- His first bit of wisdom: “Distinguish between a need and a want. You have to be willing to walk away from a bad deal when it’s just a want.” In other words you probably need a car, but you want a Porsche. Unless someone can sweeten the deal on that fancy sports car, you shouldn’t waste your money.
- Next, Sandler recommends, “Learn to buy — not to be sold.” He advises that you know a lot about the product or service you are buying. He even says, “It’s surprisingly easy” to know more than the salesperson nowadays. When you have researched the product and its price, you know when it’s a good deal and you know what extras you can ask for.
- Finally, Sandler says you should always ask for a better deal. He adds, “Sometimes you get your face slapped, sometimes you get a better deal. As long as you’re reasonable, you can usually find a better deal.”
Other discounts to ask about
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Discount for cash. Merchants pay a percentage to credit card companies. And they may be willing to pass some of the savings on to you, if you save them that trouble by offering to pay with the green dough.
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Discount for memberships. Two well-known memberships that can save you money are American Automobile Association and American Association of Retired Persons. Also consider any organization that you are a member of — such as, the PTA, a health club, a college sorority/fraternity, an alumni group, a professional group. And check for discounts from organizations everywhere. AAA offers deals on more than rental cars and hotels; check for savings on prescription drugs and amusement park tickets. An AARP membership can save you money on airline tickets, meals and flower deliveries.
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Discount for loyalty. A business may be willing to negotiate its prices if it is assured it will have your repeat business. Sandler provides this example: “Let’s say you buy 100 pounds of birdseed each month. Go to the store manager and say, ‘I will do that for the next year if you’ll give me a deal.’ Even if you’re a new customer, you can say, ‘I’m willing to bring my business here if you cut me a deal.’ Sometimes they’ll say no, but they’re dinosaurs.”
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Ask for flexibility. I recently received a coupon from a major Internet book retailer, encouraging me to try their new music and video selections. But I’m not interested in any CDs or movies right now. I do want another book. So, I e-mailed them, asking if I could use this special deal on books. And they wrote back and said sure. I just saved $5 on a book I was going to buy anyway — just by asking!
Negotiate everything
Don’t limit your asking to stores that sell products. Remember you can negotiate almost anything — from credit card rates to cell phone service.
Admittedly, it can be a little nerve-wracking to ask for a discount. The American culture is not used to even this small bit of negotiating for most products. Women especially worry about offending the salesperson. Sandler advises, “I don’t want anyone to be rude. Just ask yourself, are you looking for a deal or looking for a friend?”
Remember all the clerk or manager can say is no. If you need or really want the product, then you might decide to go ahead and pay that asking price. But you’ll never get any discount at all if you don’t ask.
As Sandler says,
“The bottom line is that the people who are willing to ask for a better deal are subsidized by those who aren’t.”
Read more about this here.
