Asking for a discount isn’t tacky, it’s being financially savvy. You really have nothing to lose by asking for a discount. But in order to increase the chances of walking away with a better-than-advertised deal, follow these tips on how to negotiate a discount.
- Big ticket items. When buying big ticket items your odds of getting a discount are great. You can almost always negotiate the price of a house, a car, HDTV or a wedding dress. But you won’t get anywhere asking for a $2 discount on $8 sunglasses. So target the larger items to get big savings.
- Small stores. The smaller the store the better the chances of getting a discount. When you’re at a family owned business or some other small store, you’re likely going to be dealing with a decision maker. This person knows their profit margin and is more likely to give you the discount.
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When going shopping we all fall prey to tricky marketing tactics. At each store we go to is full of so called deals, ending promotions and amazing bargains. But is a sale always really a good deal? Here on this post I’ll list a few of the sales pitches that make us whip out our wallets.
- Shop today and get a gift card. The gimmick here is that they want you to come back later to use it. It’s also an added incentive to buy something today just so you can get the gift card. You feel as if they’re giving money away. In reality, the item you’re buying today isn’t on sale and there won’t be any sales for the period the gift card is active for, that’s if you even remember to use it.
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Sure every now and then you want to hit up a restaurant and there’s nothing wrong with that. I’ve amassed some tips though on how you can keep the expenses to a minimum.
– Go during happy hour and sit at the bar. Contrary to what you might think, it’s not all about the drinking there. Usually appetizers are half off as well as alcoholic beverages. I’ve found that appetizers can be as big as an entree but cost way cheaper.
– Share a drink or get water. A soda will cost you nearly $3 so if you don’t need one, save some money and sip on some water.
– Pay with cash in exact change. Your server doesn’t really like it when your total is $17.12 and you give them a 20. You’ll just be sticking them with 2 dollars and 78 cents to take home. Instead give them $20.12. That way you get rid of spare change and they get an extra dollar.
– Skip the dessert. You might have gotten used to ordering an appetizer, entree and then dessert bit that’s really too much. Your entree alone probably has a thousand calories as it is already.
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When you’re rushed and want a quick bite nothing brats going to the drive-thru but those quick trips can quickly add up if you make them daily. For example some of those combos can cost about $5-$7. Here’s some quick tips to save on those fast food cravings.
– Order from the dollar / value menu. McDonalds has he McChicken and McDouble while Jack In The Box has a delicious Big Cheseburger for a buck.
– Skip the fries. I know you think that your meal is not complete without fries but you can live without them. Fries cost almost $2 while you can buy a potato for about a quarter.
– Get your drink at home. Sodas at these joints cost almost $2. A can of soda when you buy a 12 / 24 pack at the store only costs about 35 cents. These places make their money on the soda, not the sandwich.
– Finally, pay with spare change. Don’t let your change accumulate. Pay in quarters, dimes, nickels and pennies. That way it’ll feel like you almost got your snack for free.
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