Cost Of Living John on 29 May 2008 07:26 am
Ask For A Discount
One of the keys to financial freedom is reducing your outgoing cash flow by spending less. That doesn’t always mean you have to forego a purchase though. Instead you could ask for a discount on the purchases you are making.
Friends often tell me that it’s hard to get a discount, or that they’re not good negotiators and wouldn’t know how to drive a hard bargain. In reality that doesn’t matter though as the simplest way to get a discount is to ASK!
Yes, it really is that simple, next time you make a purchase just try asking one of the following:
Is that the best price you can do me?
What deals are you offering at the moment?
If I commit today can you do me a deal?
Then just be quiet and wait. Alternatively if you don’t feel happy outright asking for a discount just make a statement along the lines of:
I really would like to buy, but it’s just outside my budget.
It’s perfect, if I had a little more money to spend I’d take it off your hands today.
Then be quiet and wait. In some cases you’re going to be disappointed, but surprisingly often the mere act of asking for a discount will get you one. In many cases staff aren’t allowed to offer discounts on high value items, but can off free accessories so using:
Unfortunately I also need to buy and X and Y to go with it and at this price I couldn’t afford them all.
Can sometimes work well. Finally if you’re not happy with any of these approaches you can always just stand there silently for a minute or two - sometimes a sales person will be overeager to make the sale and will enter into a unilateral negotiation and start dropping the price thinking they’re going to lose your sale - the longer you keep quiet the more it’ll drop.
In short you’ll be surprised how easy it is to get a discount on major purchases when you just ask and the worst reply you’ll get is “no”.
This approach can work anywhere, by doing so I’ve successfully gotten discounts on anything from fresh fruit and vegetables to a new house. For the best chance of success make sure you’re asking someone who has the authority to negotiate for the vendor - the checkout assistant at your local supermarket almost certainly does not.
So try to make a habit of asking for a discount wherever you go - you’ll be saving money without having to buy less.
on 29 May 2008 at 4:46 pm 1.Pinyo said …
This is a good post, but I supposed you’re not in the U.S. Here, there aren’t too many places where prices are open to negotiation on retail products — except for cars and some services.
on 29 May 2008 at 4:49 pm 2.John said …
Thanks - No I’m based in the UK. A lot of people would argue that like the US retail prices here are not open to negotiation - but that’s simply not true, either here or in the USA.
You just have to ask. Go on, try it! :-)
on 29 May 2008 at 9:54 pm 3.Pete @ biblemoneymatters.com said …
I’ve got a post coming up in a couple of days about this exact subject - just a little more focused. It doesn’t hurt to ask for a discount!
on 29 May 2008 at 10:45 pm 4.What’s The Biggest Discount You’ve Negotiated? | Money Watch said …
[...] at FindFinancialFreedom suggests that it doesn’t hurt to ask for a discount when you’re making a [...]
on 30 May 2008 at 6:47 pm 5.Aaron Stroud said …
Pinyo, I’d have to agree with John. I have a Filipino friend who enjoys haggling because Americans are so bad at it! He’s had several friends bring him shopping because he’s good at getting the price knocked down and accessories thrown in. Best Buy is one of the stores he’s had success at.
And no, I generally don’t haggle. I find it unpleasant, probably because I don’t enjoy being on the receiving end of awkward silence.
on 30 May 2008 at 11:45 pm 6.John said …
I think I’ve not been clear enough here. I know most people don’t like haggling and I’m not suggesting you haggle. All I’m suggesting is that you simply ask for a better deal.
In my experience that’ll get you a discount more often than you’d expect.
on 31 May 2008 at 10:17 pm 7.2paupers » Blog Archive » Carnival of Living Cheaply - June said …
[...] Crickett presents Ask For A Discount posted at Find Financial Freedom, saying, “Save money on your purchases by asking for a [...]
on 01 Jun 2008 at 3:24 pm 8.Carnival of Financial Learning #2 | Financial Learn said …
[...] Crickett presents Ask For A Discount posted at Find Financial Freedom, saying, “Spend less by asking for a discount on what you [...]
on 02 Jun 2008 at 3:16 pm 9.Tristan said …
I have a slightly different slant on this, I regularly find something to complain about a meal when I eat out.
You could argue that I’m being fussy, but it usually results in getting a starter or dessert free, or having the wine taken off the cost of the meal.
Now it might sound like I’m being fussy, but it’s because I’ve worked in restaurants and hotels, and thus understand what good service should be, that I demand it when I eat out and spend good money on my meal.
It’s in every restaurant’s best interests to give good service, as bad service costs them, usually…
on 04 Jun 2008 at 12:08 pm 10.Money Hacks Carnival #15 - French Open Edition — Broke Grad Student said …
[...] Crickett explains why you should Ask For A Discount at Find Financial [...]
on 15 Jul 2008 at 6:19 am 11.FinancialGuruOnline.com » Carnival of Financial Planning - May 31 2008 Edition said …
[...] Crickett presents Ask For A Discount posted at Find Financial Freedom, saying, “One of the easiest ways to improve your personal [...]
on 29 Jul 2008 at 6:53 pm 12.cornish dragon said …
“The Exchange and Mart” close
it works for me….
I have always said E&M is “the
font of all human knowledge”
closely followed by the self
employeds friend Daltons Weekly
they are ideal bargaining tools
especially for telephone deals.
If you are trying to get a price
down say ” I’d like to buy X from
you but it currently £Z pounds in E&M.
He either matches it or risks loosing
a potential sale.
CU
CD