How to ask for a discount anywhere

Does that sound scary? I used to find it a scary thought. I don’t know if in the last few years this whole crazy fixer-upper-house-thing made me grow a set of balls or… if I’ve just… well grown a set of balls or what but I don’t find asking for a discount scary anymore at all!

So, how do you ask for a discount anywhere?

There really aren’t any fancy tricks to this, but you do have to pay attention. You can ask for a discount anywhere for anything! Some places are more likely to say yes than others but the worst that can happen is; they say  ’no’.

The important thing before asking for a discount is knowing exactly what you’re looking to get.  If you’re just browsing the store for things you might possible need in 46 days, and have no idea what you want to ask the person in charge, you’re bound to spend money you don’t need to. Keep your eye open for something you need and stick to the list.
Where to ask for discounts:

At  the grocery store
Go shopping the evening before the store is closed for the day, or even before the store has a day with reduced hours. You are almost guaranteed to find items 50% off or clerks stickering things the store needs to sell before closing time. If you have an item that is close to expiry you can always ask for a discount, be friendly about it and ask the department manager or the store manager, and if they say no, thank them for their time.

My mother always did this when we were young and eventually built up a good relationship with a local franchise owner. Every saturday at 5PM he picked out a box full of product fro the store that was near expiry/useless to them and sold it to her at $10 a box, flat. We got to try some really cool things as a result of this, things we would have never tried were it not for ‘The Box’.

How to ask for a discount anywhere!

At any home improvement store
Since buying my little house I”ve grown quite creative about getting things done for free, at a reduced price or at a discount. Here are some of the ways:

- When purchasing items for gardening look for open/damaged bags of mulch/gravel etc. These are usually sold at a good discount (50% off where I live) Look for plants that are half-dead or look like they need a little TLC (really? yup, really) If the roots are good you can often plant it, watch it struggle for a summer then cut it back and watch a beautiful healthy plant come up the next year. Also, wait until the end of the season when plants go on sale… usually you can still get them in the garden for enjoyment next year and much cheaper than having bought them at the height of planting season.

- Look for sales on display models, this is how I got a brand-name low-flow toilet for $70

- When purchasing flooring look for open boxes, ask for a discount. I purchased every single open box they had when I needed laminate for my living room and new addition. I also waited for a sale so I got 10% off the flooring + 20% off every damaged and open box I bought.

The main point of this post is that nearly everything in life is negotiable and almost everything has a price. 

Just opening your mouth may seem like moving a mountain, but it really is worth it. Get to know general retail business cycles and use them to your advantage. I’m not telling you to rip businesses off but do take advantage of any deals you can find so you can have a better bottom-line. Because when it comes down to it, every penny you save is a penny for retirement, a penny for a dream vacation or a penny towards anything you want. Try to save on the mundane life-stuff so you can use your money for your enjoyment.

Have you ever asked for a discount, did you get what you asked for? Would you do it again?

PS: IMG source here.