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When and How to Ask for a Discount…

By The Busy Budgeter | 17 Comments | This post may contain affiliate links

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Not sure when and how to ask for a discount?  It’s easier than you think…

When and how to ask for a discount. This is awesome! It's so hard to know when you should ask for a discount, this is really helpful!

This is a guest post written by Kari Cullen of Esavingsblog.com.

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Did you know that you don’t always have to settle for the price as marked? More
often than not, you can ask for a discount and get it if you know when and how to
ask.

Most people don’t realize that you can ask for discounts at almost any store for
things you may not have considered.

Once I realized this I was a little upset with myself that I never did it sooner.
I don’t even want to think about all the money I would have saved over the years!
So how do you go about asking for a discount and what sort of things can you get
a discount on? Let’s go over some tips!

How to Ask For a Discount

Simply Ask!

Duh, you’re probably saying but it all starts with simply asking. “What is your best
price on this fridge?” “Is that the best you can do?” “Is there any wiggle room on
that price?” These are just a few ways to ask but you get the point.
If it’s a fast sale, a sales rep will be willing to make a little less money per purchase
if they don’t have to work too hard to make the sale.

Be Kind

Make sure to make eye contact and smile! Look them in the eye, treat them with
respect and be polite and friendly. If you’re rude and pushy, they’re just going to
say no.

So be nice. Most people will want to help out a nice person in any way they can.
You don’t have to intimidate the salesperson. Even if they work on commission
there’s usually a big enough cushion for them to give you a discount.
They would rather make the sale than not.

Talk to the Right Person

There’s no point in trying to haggle with someone who simply cannot authorize a
discount. If you find out the salesperson cannot give you a deal, ask them if
maybe the manager could give a discount.
Most managers have the power to discount purchases if you simply ask them
nicely. They can also offer you such things as free delivery or maybe a coupon or
free gift with your purchase if they can’t discount the item itself.

Know When to Ask

There are certain times of the year to buy different items in order to get the best
savings. Usually, you want to buy offseason or last year’s items to get the good
deals.
But you can also buy brand new items on the last day of the month in some
cases and get substantial discounts. Retailers need to move inventory and have
quotas they need to meet by month end.

Offer to Pay Cash

Retailers pay up to 8 percent for your transaction to the credit card companies so
when you pay cash for anything, you’re already in a very good position to get a
good deal.

What Types of Things Can You Ask for a Discount On?

Getting Discounts on Furniture

Furniture has a huge markup. Most furniture sales professionals work on
commission and can be getting a nice percentage if they sell for the full price.
Now obviously they need to make money but there is a lot of discounting that can
be done if you follow the rules you learned above.

Getting Discounts on Appliances and Electronics

Appliances and Electronics are often sold on commission too, depending on
where you go.

If there are no discounts that can be given, they may be able to offer you the floor
sample, an open box item, free shipping or installation instead.

Vehicles

Anytime you shop for a new or used car you should never pay the retail price for
it.

Start your shopping online!

With websites like CarGurus.com, you can pretty much do all your research right
online before you even get to the dealership.

Consumer Reports also gives great information about how inexpensively you can
get a vehicle and what price to shoot for.

Having this knowledge on hand leaves you in a much better position to negotiate.
Don’t be afraid to walk away if they won’t budge on price.

Medical Procedures

It might seem hard to imagine, but often you can make deals for medical
procedures. there are a lot of costs involved with medical procedures and most
people don’t ask what they are.

You may be able to have your procedure done on a certain day or time cheaper.
Maybe a different doctor or hospital may also be cheaper.

You may opt to pay cash instead of going through insurance. If you explain that
you’re paying in cash up front and not going through insurance, that saves them a
lot of extra work. This could get you a nice discount.

When I had to get four teeth pulled for braces I opted to skip the anesthesia and
just get novocaine and saved a good sum of money.

While being awake for four tooth extractions isn’t for everyone you get the point I
am getting at.

Don’t be afraid to ask!

Even if you already got a procedure and found out it was more expensive than
you thought you can often work out a deal with the provider if you ask.

Grocery & Retail Stores

It might not seem possible, but for items that expire, like meat, dairy, fruit, and
vegetables, you can ask for a discount. Most likely if you check the dates on the
meat you may see some close to expiration.

Talk to the manager and see if they will give you a discount.

Same goes for retail stores. If you find an item with a small imperfection you may
get a discount.

You should also always ask at the register if they have any current coupons out
and usually, they have coupons behind the counter that they can scan for you.
In a nutshell, just ask!

The worse thing that can happen is they say no!

Kari Cullen is a former Technical Analyst turned entrepreneur. She loves to share her personal finance, budgeting, and money saving tips over on her blog Esavingsblog.com. She has a library full of free printables and guidesto help make managing money simple, fun and stress-free for your family!

 

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FTC Disclosure of Material Connection: In order for us to maintain this website, some of the links in the post above may be affiliate links. Regardless, we only recommend products or services we use personally and/or believe will add value to readers

Filed Under: Budget

Comments

  1. Jayant Kadge says

    November 18 at 10:43 am

    Such an important way of reducing costs for businesses, but due to lack of skills on how to ask for discount, many miss this opportunity to save costs

    Reply
  2. Brian says

    November 29 at 10:00 am

    Good advice on the grocery stores. I think I’ll give it a try. I tried getting a teacher discount at a mechanic and it worked. Are there any sectors where teachers are more likely to get discounts?

    Reply
    • Kari Ann says

      January 10 at 11:34 am

      Definitely! Teachers actually get discounts at lots of places especially during back to school season. Arts, Crafts and office supply stores generally have a free program that will give teachers a discount. Even electronic and clothing stores many times have discounts. Just like senior discounts you just have to ask :). Just be sure to have a teacher ID ready.

      Reply
  3. Jenny says

    December 3 at 4:09 pm

    I am definitely too scared to ask for a discount on anything so I really appreciate reading this. I’m gonna give it a try!

    Reply
    • Kari Ann says

      January 10 at 11:36 am

      Honestly, I was the same way! I have a friend ask all the time no matter what store and most of the time she gets a discount! It’s amazing what just asking can do. This works especially well if your buying multiple of an item or you see a scratch or dent on an item or even if an item is on clearance since they are most likely trying to get rid of it already!
      Kari Ann recently posted…Reach Your Health Goals and Win Money!My Profile

      Reply
  4. Yeh Hai Mohabbatein says

    December 26 at 12:02 am

    say thank you for this informative content . really appreciate your hard work I .

    Reply
  5. Watches Shop in bd says

    December 28 at 3:14 am

    This is o.k. written post, my compliments
    You are doing an honest job adding new material to the discussion.
    Thanks for posting the helpful info

    Reply
  6. Fiona Manoon says

    January 3 at 1:52 am

    I like the helpful info you provide in your Blog.This is an impressive Blog.. Thanks!

    Reply
  7. CA Jayant Kadge says

    January 20 at 1:57 pm

    Such simple but effective ways suggested here.. really appreciate the guidance.

    Reply
  8. deepika says

    January 26 at 4:24 am

    nice post thank you for for your posting

    Reply
  9. Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai says

    March 6 at 4:44 am

    Excellent article. I’m experiencing a few of these issues as well..

    Reply
  10. martin rossow says

    March 6 at 5:29 am

    Great tips! People tend to use more and more savings when they shop online, so these are some really helpful ideas is good for everyone.. and it is very informative for people.

    Reply
  11. Sarala S. Sarah says

    April 7 at 7:28 pm

    Awesome list! I also ask for discounts while shopping for clothes. Sometimes if a shirt is missing a button or has some dirt that can easily be removed in the wash I will point out the defect to the sales rep and they will usually throw in a 10% off the list price. This also usually means no returns, so I only use this on easy to take care of issues on clothes, but it’s a great way to save money if you can take care of the basics!
    Sarala S. Sarah recently posted…8 Tips to Ski and Snowboard Mont Tremblant on a BudgetMy Profile

    Reply
  12. Ali says

    April 25 at 5:59 pm

    I need this in my life! I’m going to be asking the grocery store for sure. Those groceries always seem to be the problem area of the budget when really it should be the easiest one to control. Great post!

    Reply
  13. health and fitness says

    September 15 at 5:51 am

    this article is very good i like its wording because it is simple

    Reply
  14. Jules says

    November 12 at 8:54 am

    Love this! I was taught how to haggle by my parents growing up and it’s surprising how often it works! As long as you’re respectful and kind in your ask, why not?
    Jules recently posted…Blogger Life: Blogging While Working a Full Time JobMy Profile

    Reply
  15. Janet Stelly says

    November 29 at 9:41 pm

    So true- You don’t know if they will give a discount unless you ask! I didn’t think about trying this at the grocery store. Thanks!

    Reply

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