Bargaining
Rediscover the lost art of bargaining
Difficulty:
3- it takes a bit of umpf, but it is a fun 3
Price:
Free.99
Whats it good for:
This activity works best with independent stores which we should be shopping at anyway. The big commercial dudes don't have the freedom to do this mostly, but still worth a try given the right circumstances.
Taking back the lost art of bargaining is good for all parties involved. Good for the employees b/c the best time to take advantage of it is when they are bored, and good for you 'cause you get a good deal. It also is a rage against the monotony of the normal boring commerce experience. Who tries to bargain with you for stuff anymore...NOBODY thats the point. You get to expoloit the laziness of others and sometimes I get stuff just because I surprised them. In the Middle East bargaining is considered part of the fun of the commerce experience. The merchants expect and mostly demand to bargain, because it is fun for them. Lets bring fun back into the boring act of buying crap.
Ex: Leaving a UNT football game I see the water seller dudes still selling water for $2 a pop. No one is going to buy them 'cause the game is over. So I offer them $2 for two bottles, and you must always tell them why it is a good deal. That time it didn't work, but it was fun to ask and fun for them, or at least they laughed a bit in their boring job.
Ex:2 Going to a coffee shop the cashier tells me that their cash drawer is stuck and they can only take credit. I tell them that is too bad 'cause I only have cash (a half truth), but I told them that they could give me some of their coffee for free because the stuck drawer is a bit bad business. They agreed and I got two cups of free coffee.
Ex:3 Coffee shop again. They say that their thermos coffee is totally old and they will make some more for me. I tell them that since they are going to throw it out anyway how about give me the coffee for free and just heat it up for me. (I wasn't too picky that night) They agreed and I got a cup of coffee for free.
The moral of the story is "Why not ask?"
All they can do is say no.
Difficulty:
3- it takes a bit of umpf, but it is a fun 3
Price:
Free.99
Whats it good for:
This activity works best with independent stores which we should be shopping at anyway. The big commercial dudes don't have the freedom to do this mostly, but still worth a try given the right circumstances.
Taking back the lost art of bargaining is good for all parties involved. Good for the employees b/c the best time to take advantage of it is when they are bored, and good for you 'cause you get a good deal. It also is a rage against the monotony of the normal boring commerce experience. Who tries to bargain with you for stuff anymore...NOBODY thats the point. You get to expoloit the laziness of others and sometimes I get stuff just because I surprised them. In the Middle East bargaining is considered part of the fun of the commerce experience. The merchants expect and mostly demand to bargain, because it is fun for them. Lets bring fun back into the boring act of buying crap.
Ex: Leaving a UNT football game I see the water seller dudes still selling water for $2 a pop. No one is going to buy them 'cause the game is over. So I offer them $2 for two bottles, and you must always tell them why it is a good deal. That time it didn't work, but it was fun to ask and fun for them, or at least they laughed a bit in their boring job.
Ex:2 Going to a coffee shop the cashier tells me that their cash drawer is stuck and they can only take credit. I tell them that is too bad 'cause I only have cash (a half truth), but I told them that they could give me some of their coffee for free because the stuck drawer is a bit bad business. They agreed and I got two cups of free coffee.
Ex:3 Coffee shop again. They say that their thermos coffee is totally old and they will make some more for me. I tell them that since they are going to throw it out anyway how about give me the coffee for free and just heat it up for me. (I wasn't too picky that night) They agreed and I got a cup of coffee for free.
The moral of the story is "Why not ask?"
All they can do is say no.
posted by Brady at 2:24 PM
2 Comments:
yes! great point!
other stories to inspire the aspiring haggler:
banana republic skirt with zipper problem (easily fixed by my mom): $4
four pier one wicker chairs (delivered to my parents' house with slight hardly noticeable discoloration; my mom had them take them back and got new ones delivered; then went to pier one and talked them into selling them to her for a discounted price and then had extra chairs): 75% off
a warehouse my dad offered to take everything from for $300; ended up getting these old oil filters that went to some kind of 1950s cars; averaged out to about $.50 each tops; kept them and like ten years later sold them on ebay: $50 each, probably 10 of them or more.
and a tribute to the woman i consider the queen of bartering herself: ms. nicole williams. spend a few days with her and i'd bet money that you would see some serious bargaining in action. she's a pro, folks.
great blog! keep the adventurous ideas coming!
that is outstanding!!!!
Nicole W is one of my favorite bargining queens. She lives by the motto that I love, why not ask? All they can say is no.
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