Saving Freak

It’s the end of the month and the end of the year. This is a great time to purchase things from people on commission or who work for bonuses. Sales competitions go on annual and monthly intervals and a large portion of the retail world uses the calendar year to determine those contests. So sales reps are trying to make annual and monthly goals and so are their managers. When they hit the next level of commission/bonus it is a huge jump to their personal income.

So what does this mean to the average consumer? The retail world is listening we just have to start asking. Whenever I have traveled outside the States I have always been entertained by the negotiating that goes on over prices. The buyer and seller go back and forth until a deal is made. This art has been completely lost in the U.S. We as a population have not only started accepting the retailers prices we are completely uncomfortable asking for a lower price. I have many friends who are mortified when people dare to be confrontational or “cheap” enough to ask that a retailer bring their price down a little.

Well now is the time to get over that fear. The first items I think about asking for lower prices are big ticket items like appliances, furniture, vehicles, etc. All of these type of goods have a lot of overhead built into them and managers can make deals happen out of the air. If you find a washer or dryer that is scratched or dented you have hit pay dirt. For some reason there are a lot of people who care about the appearance of an appliance that sits in a room that you never want anyone to see.

The other prices I love to negotiate with managers are on clearance and open box items. No one wants this stuff on their sales floor. It takes up valuable space and they are going to take a bigger hit the longer it stays. In fact some managers start to get hassled by corporate when open box and clearance items stay in inventory for too long. This is how my wife and I purchased our refrigerator. The original price was $1300 marked down to $1000 due to clearance and open box. I offered $800 with delivery and an $80 gift card. The manager thought for a second and made it happen.

This goes on all the time. You just have to ask. The only strategy that I have to offer with this is to use cash and to flash it in front of the sales person and manager. Cash, unlike credit/debit, invokes an emotional response in people. Most times when cash is involved people start to make deals. Plastic just doesn’t cut it when negotiating. So get out there!! What is the worst that could happen? They might say no? If that happens walk away. If the sales person is hungry enough you might see him running out into the parking lot, looking to make one last offer.