For whatever reason, here in the U.S (and Canada, probably) we are conditioned to be cooperative shoppers. In other words, we play nice with the business at which we are shopping, and don’t try to negotiate. If there is an asking price, we’ll either pay it or move on.
Bargaining, apparently, is uncomfortable!
There are exceptions to this, as we know, and one of those is buying a car. If you’re buying a used car, that’s an extra special treat 🙂 Beyond that, buying items on craigslist might be another venue where negotiation is fairly normal. But in most cases, it’s almost a faux pas.
Here is one situation when you should negotiate: buying a mattress.
I very recently had an experience where I was shopping for a mattress that our family needed. I went to a three local places, and found that it was relatively easy to compare their stated prices – and that there were some distinct differences. As in, $100 differences between high/low price for one item among the stores I visited.
So, the last store I went to had what I found to be the best overall prices for what I was looking for. After talking things through with the salesperson, and asking about prices, I came to a pretty good price. I was feeling pretty good about it.
Then, I mentioned that I would walk away. He didn’t come down in price any further, but as I made it clear that I wasn’t buying today, he hustled to give me his card and indicated that the price will hold. If I didn’t ask, I wouldn’t have had this leverage.
At that point, I asked another question: will there be a better price on this mattress soon?
He paused, then spoken in generalities about how that was a possibility. I asked if there was a specific date he knew about, and then he wanted his card back to write something. I gave it back, and he wrote a date on it when he said I should come back on that day. In other words, there would be a sale on that day.
I was pleased, and then walked away. Then, I thought: “why not just ask what that discount would be?”
The next step was for me to turn around, and go back to him asking about that future discount. He hesitated, then told me that it would be on sale for $130 less at that time. And, that I should come back then since it would clearly be worth my while to wait just a little over a week.
What did I do then? I asked him if I could just get that discount now if I bought it right away – in advance of the sale.
He said the most he could do was give me a guarantee of a $130 to be applied on that day – to which I agreed. So, I didn’t get the exact ultimate outcome I wanted, but came really close.
All because of the idea that sometimes we need to get uncomfortable and ask for a better price. There’s often very little to lose, and potentially a fair amount to gain!
My Questions for You
How often do you ask for discounts?
Do you enjoy bargaining, or could you do without it?
Do you find mattress shopping to be a little different than buying most other household items?
I often ask for a discount. The worse that they can say is no, but if they say yes then you come out ahead.
Costs next to nothing except a moment of time, unless it’s a rare case where asking offends the person and ruins a good thing you might already have. Otherwise, it’s low effort/cost but could yield significant benefit.
I do ask for discounts on bigger purchases like appliances and electronics, since I feel like the potential savings would be worth it.
I’m not a a natural bargainer, but I do enjoy it from time to time.
I think I could do a better job for smaller shopping trips, who knows what I could get 🙂
I’m basically the same way for the most part. Sometimes I too think I could do a better job of asking when it comes to smaller purchases, though often that’s not possible (can’t go to a restaurant and say you’ll pay them $6 for your meal even though the menu says $10)
I asked for and received a nifty discount on a new stove purchased just 3 years after I’d purchased a different new one from the same store. Plus they gave me a trade in on the old one which they claimed they never do! When booking hotel rooms for vacation I usually ask if they have an early booking or AAA discount. We have a Hilton Honors card which gives us points toward a free upgraded room or a free stay after so many prior stays. On other things, I don’t usually ask even though I know I should.
More proof that it can be helpful to simply ask!
I ask all the time! It is just a question and I rarely turned down.
In what situations do you ask? Curious because if you rarely get turned down, I wonder in what context the discount request is being made.
Hi! I almost always ask for a discount unless I’m in a retail store like Target or a grocery store. Recently, my husband and I upgraded to iPhones. The ones we got were listed for $99 each, but the ones we wanted were $49 (an older version). They didn’t have the $49 ones in stock, so I asked if we could get the $99 for $49. Figured it was risky, but if you don’t ask, you definitely won’t receive a discount! Sure enough, we got the phones for the $49 rate. It’s always best to ask – whether negotiating for phones, a car, a mattress or rent!