It Pays to Ask

If I learned anything from my retail-savvy mother during our many trips to Hudson's in Fashion Square Mall in the '80s and '90s, it's that it almost always pays to ask about getting a lower price. Some may call it quibbling, some may call it being cheap (though I don't think anyone could accuse my mother of that, despite her Scottish background), but I call it being shrewd.

This is a learned skill and it takes a certain amount of confidence (and occasional acting) to pull it off. You have to be sure of yourself but not bossy, you want to seem interested but not so eager that you won't just pass on an item and walk away. This skill works in a variety of settings, from the cable company to the furniture store to the corner stand.

When Zach and I were in our salad days (don't you love that old term?) and had little money and lots of sudden car expenses, this skill came in handy. Zach had to get a couple new tires on the old Lumina but they did not have the exact same tires as those already on the car. The clerk said they had something similar. Zach said that would be fine. I was standing by and, though it may have seemed like butting in I just had to ask.

Me: "Are those tires more expensive than the ones on the car?"
Clerk: Yes.
Me: "Couldn't we get them for the price of the old tires since you don't have those in stock?"
Clerk: "Uhhhhhhh . . . yeah."
Me: *smiles smugly*

Yes, it nearly always pays to ask. Last week at the farmer's market I saw a man selling, among other things, Red Haven peaches. I wanted to can peaches, but he was only selling them by the quart, which would end up being really expensive. The man was selling other things, like the Roma tomatoes I bought, in half bushel baskets at great prices. Couldn't I have a half bushel of peaches at a similar price? Yes. Though he seemed reluctant to sell them that way, he did agree because I was buying so many other things that day.

Today Calvin and I went to Van Atta's nursery to look at spring bulbs (it's bulb planting time, in case you weren't aware). I looked to see if they still had a pot-type hose hider that I had seen last year. It's a low round terracotta-colored plastic pot that is for hiding your unsightly bright green hose. I had been wanting one for three years, but this was the only place I'd seen them. And they were $60. For a piece of plastic. And I just couldn't bring myself to spend that much on plastic.

There was one left. Dusty and filled with padded kneelers, this thing was obviously forgotten. I watch the sales at this nursery because I get their email newsletter, and these things are never on sale. But it never hurts to ask. So I asked a woman working there if they ever put them on sale, mentioning that I couldn't bring myself to pay $60 for a hunk of plastic and that I knew that this hose hider was there last year and still hadn't sold. She checked with a manager who said I could have it for 25% off. Then she whispered to me that she didn't think that was a great deal, so she'd give it to me for 30% off. I said I'd think about it and went on with my browsing. About 20 minutes later I was ready to check out with my bulbs. She came over to me and said that the thing was no longer in their system, so she'd have to ring it up as something else and give me 30% off. It turned out that something else was already cheaper yet, so I got a full $20 off the price of that hose hider. Just because I asked.

$40 is still a lot to pay for plastic. But it's less than $60.

It almost always pays to ask.