I’ve read that people in the Midwest live longer because the optimism that the change in season brings. I don’t know about the living longer part, but I know that after some time of enjoying the current season, I’m always looking forward to the next one. Right now, I’m enjoying the late summer weather.
I love sitting outside on my deck, having a drink or two, and just shooting the breeze with my friends.
The only slight problem is that sometimes the evenings get just a little cool to sit outside, especially in early Spring and late Fall. One common solution is a fire pit, which we enjoy often. But sometimes I don’ want to end the night smelling like I just battled a forest fire. Another solution is an outdoor heater.
We’ve been on the lookout for one that catches our eye for the right price for quite a while. That perfect combination occurred over the weekend as my wife and I were walking through Home Depot. We spotted a prism shaped heater in which fire is displayed in an enclosed glass tube and the heat disperses out the top of the unit. We had seen one like this at an outdoor winter festival last year, and I remembered my wife stated that if we ever saw one like that we would buy it.
We talked to a salesperson, who pointed out a sign indicating that the display model was the only one they had. Without hesitation, my wife asked if there was a discount for having to purchase the display model. After all, you never know what other customers may have done to it as it sat on the display room floor. The employee stated that he believed it was already discounted. I was satisfied with that answer because at the very least I didn’t have to assemble it.
My wife, however, was not happy with that answer.
At the checkout counter she asked the cashier if she could tell us what the original price was. When the casher could not tell us, my wife asked to speak to a manager to whom she repeated her request for a discount for taking the display model.
The manager instructed the cashier to take 20% of the price.
With just a little bit of persistence, my wife saved us $26 off the $129.99 price of the heater.
On the way home, she asked me if I would have paid full price for the heater. The smile on her face told me she already knew the answer.
So, the moral of this story is, if you want a discount, just ask.
Have you ever gotten a discount simply by asking a question? Have you ever had to push a little harder as my wife did?
Brought to you courtesy of Brock
Brock is a software engineer by day and personal finance blogger at night. He is a fitness junkie and enjoys grilling and smoking meat. Married with two children, Brock strives to improve his skills as a husband and father, and is always on the lookout to stretch his family’s budget as far as he can.