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Money saving tip – save cash by asking questions

Many people pay the full retail price without giving it a second thought. But if you use this money-saving tip, you can consistently get great deals and keep more cash in your pocket.

Money-saving tip – save cash by asking questions

Save Money While Shopping

Yesterday, I fell in love. With a chair. It was a perfect size, pattern, and style.

Unfortunately, it was not the perfect price.

favourite chair
The retail price was $229, but it was marked down to $149 with a red sticker. I ALMOST left it because that was still out of my price range. But I decided to ask a question.

I asked a saleswoman if the chair happened to be reduced any further. She didn’t think it was.

I asked if she would mind double-checking. Her scanner showed it was an additional 25% off. Down to $114. Getting closer…

As I pondered the purchase, I noticed a few scratches on one leg so I asked to speak to a manager about getting a further discount. He offered me a reduction to $80. SOLD!

But wait. When I got to the checkout, a sign announced a further 15% off if you signed up for an HBC credit card. I asked if this could apply to even my reduced chair, and the manager kindly agreed.

So, I received a $229 chair for $68, saving almost 70% off the original price. By simply using this money-saving tip – ask questions.

Here are tried and true principles to use when asking questions as a customer:

Be courteous

My customer service experience made me appreciate pleasant shoppers. Staff is far more likely to help you get what you are requesting if you treat them with kindness and respect.

Don’t be rude and demand a better price!

Ask the right person

Don’t ask someone to adjust a price when they do not have the authority to do so. Rather, ask that a manager be paged so they can hear your request directly. (And surprise the manager with your pleasant approach because that is not always what they encounter.)

The other day I went shopping at Target for winter hats and gloves for my boys. I noticed that all the$10 and $16 accessories had a sign over them stating 2/$5.

Instead of having a cashier call someone to verify this, I looked for a salesperson myself. They called a manager and he honored the signage without complaint (thank you, Target!). I was able to purchase $97 in cold-weather accessories for $20. Just for asking!

Be reasonable

You will have greater success in negotiating if you make a reasonable request. Don’t ask for a ridiculous reduction for a tiny scratch on an item, but perhaps 10% or 15%.

Of course, you may be lucky to have a generous manager who offers a larger percentage off than you would have requested (this happened to me at Home Outfitters one time!).

Use the “power of the pause”

This is an effective strategy for negotiating. Make your request and then pause. We often over-explain our point, rather than giving someone a chance to respond, which can result in a minimal discount. If they don’t offer a reasonable solution, make your request again and then pause again.

Try it – it works!

As a consumer, don’t be afraid to ask. Follow these principles and you may be pleasantly surprised by how well this money-saving tip works. And asking questions is just one of many ways to save money.

What have you accomplished by simply asking?

Comments

  1. Erika

    I love these ideas – how simple to just change this one area! How many times have we been afraid to ask and simply pay the full price for things? Thanks for sharing!

  2. Karen G

    Thanks for the encouragement, Erika. I used to be quite shy about asking, but I’m getting better at it. And I have the pretty chair as a reminder 🙂

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