Archived What's your go to way to get a discount on something. (AskVoat)
submitted ago by masboobporfavor
Posted by: masboobporfavor
Posting time: 5.4 years ago on
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Archived on: 2/12/2017 1:51:00 AM
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Archived What's your go to way to get a discount on something. (AskVoat)
submitted ago by masboobporfavor
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[–] gingersnapped 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
Pointing out that a competitor is offering it for less.
Depending on the item, sometimes I'll also call out features that I don't need (particularly if they're "optional" features that normally you'd pay more for, but that I don't really want -- like when buying a car) and either ask them to remove them, or cut the cost of those features.
Also checking if they have any discounts for things you're affiliated with -- AAA, through your employer, military/veteran, local's discount (e.g. some places will give a discount if you live in a certain area they want to market more to), student discounts, senior citizen discounts, etc. You can ask the vendor directly, or sometimes find that info on their website.
Another tactic is to offer to buy more if they provide a discount. So, you may suggest that if they provide a discount of $X, you'll purchase twice as much (obviously this is only a good deal if you actually want/need more). This works great at places like a farmer's market or flea market where perhaps you're about to buy $11 worth of goods, but you might ask "Will you take $10 for it?"
Also check if places will provide a discount for paying in cash. Credit card fees eat into a merchant's profits. Depending on the merchant, they may be willing to share some of that with you provided you pay cash.
And then there's good old relationship building. If it's a merchant you frequent, start building a relationship. Talk to the people who work there/own the business, and get to know them. Be kind to them. Throw business their way (and let them know "hey, I was just telling my coworker about your amazing widgets! Do you guys have any in stock? He was thinking of coming by tomorrow.") And don't follow up every interaction with your hand out. But, I've found that by building relationships with certain merchants, they've given me unsolicited perks, freebies, discounts, etc. Or, when I've asked for a little compromise on price or something, they're far more likely to agree. Businesses are nothing without customers -- particularly quality, repeat customers. And a good merchant is going to want to keep it that way with you.
[–] gingersnapped ago
Oh, and ALWAYS act like you don't really need it, and never be afraid to walk away. Unless it's something that only that vendor can possibly offer, chances are you can find it somewhere else and negotiate a deal on it. Or purely by the act of walking away the merchant will realize that a lost sale is worse for their bottom line than a discounted sale, and may change their tune.
[–] masboobporfavor [S] ago
Now that's some solid advice.