So many times in my life the saying, “You can’t get what you don’t ask for.” has been applicable to numerous situations. I think for a lot of people its a comfort zone thing. They think, why would I get a discount here? Why do I deserve a discount? Why not I say? What harm is there in giving someone a discount if it makes them happy and they come back again? The fact remains that most of the time, if you don’t ask for it, you’re not going to get it, simple as that. But if you do, the rewards can be well worth it.
The other night I made a trip to AutoZone for a few things I needed to work on my car. I had to replace a hose and they happened to have it in stock so I picked up a few other things while I was there. I knew that I needed a special tool for another project I had in mind so I made a quick check to see if they had it. Sure enough they did but when I saw the price of $14.99 I thought that seemed just a bit high. I did a quick check on my smart phone and saw that they had the same tool available on Amazon for $7.87, almost half the price, and I could get it shipped free in two days because I have Amazon Prime.
The difference in price was enough for me to want to hold-off but just out of curiosity I asked the cashier if he would match the price. He asked, “With who?” and I said “Amazon.” He smiled and shook his head saying he couldn’t do that but he could offer me 10% off on my entire purchase. I rang up the total in my head and realized I was only saving about $3 with that discount, still not enough to sway me, so I politely declined and returned the tool to its shelf.
When I finished shopping I brought my items to the counter, smiled and said, “So do you think you could still give me that 10% off just for good measure?” He again smiled, paused briefly and replied, “Sure, why not”. My kind of guy.
Though it only saved me a couple of dollars this time, those couple of dollars add up every time and I can tell you I’ve had success getting discounts at places you would never expect to get discounts from quite often. Give it a shot yourself. The worst that happens is someone says sorry, they can’t, but if they say yes, you’ll be glad you did.
