Negotiating in the real world is a rarity. There are few things that are actually “okay” to negotiate. They tend to be major purchases with commissions to be made. Each side has certain amounts of leverage and personal giveaway. However, most places do not have such a side of salesmanship. While some employees will take it upon themselves to negotiate, some will simply refuse to do so because there is no personal benefit, or simply because they do not want to deal with it or a minor purchase.
I gave real world negotiating a try on two occasions this week. I considered going to a car dealership because I believed that would give the best negotiating atmosphere, but I have NO desire to purchase a new car. My first shot at negotiating came on a whim after doing some reading of a Negotiating text. I was at a pizza place (Original Pizza—it probably doesn’t need anonymity considering the outcome) with a friend. I noticed that prices of specials were listed, but everyday prices were not listed. I inquired about the price of a calzone, and I was told it was $3.70. I asked if they ever have specials on it, and why they didn’t list the prices someplace. The cashier just shrugged. It wasn’t busy at all, so I offered to buy a drink if he made the price just $3.00. The situation would have been funny if it wasn’t so uncomfortable. With the look he gave me, you would think I asked him to turn his skin inside-out. “Uh, I can’t do that,” he replied, assuming I was a giant idiot. “Well, what would the usual deal be, if the day was right for a calzone deal?” To be honest, I don’t remember what he said, but I replied to add $.25 to that, and we both get a deal. He was having none of it. “I don’t have a button for that today, and I don’t feel like getting in trouble.” Considering he would get no personal benefit, and I was with a friend, I decided ending negotiations was correct—but I did not get that drink.
I gave negotiating a better faith try at a location I won’t name specifically, but would liken it to a smaller GameStop—a location that buys and sells video games, movies, and the like. Deals can be made if you sell games, so I thought some lee-way might be given, and I wouldn’t mind having a good Super Nintendo game—I loved that system growing up, and mine still works. I tried negotiating once at an actual GameStop, and with other people around, the were very hard-line on not negotiating at all. In this situation, I was alone in the store with the one clerk. I had brought in a couple terrible Super Nintendo games that held very little value, but was interested in another Super Nintendo game of his. I wanted either Mario Paint—a pretty rare game valued at $20, or Return of the Jedi, a less rare game held at $10.50—notably, they had 2 copies of that game. I first inquired about Mario Paint, and he did not want to budge on that price. This wasn’t like holding a car where you need to buy insurance, and can cost you in the long term. Mario Paint may actually GAIN value for its rarity. While the Star Wars game could gain value, I doubted it. The games I brought in were valued at a return of $.60--$.75 if they were used in a trade-in, which I was doing. My goal was to get a dollar back on that to buy Return of the Jedi for $9. I started by offering $7, and I was rebuffed, but the cashier seemed open to talking—and he kind of enjoyed not just sitting around. “These other games for the system are around $2-$8. This game isn’t really that much better. It is priced up for being a franchise like Star Wars.”
“But Star Wars is a popular thing.”
“Oh yeah, how long has that been sitting here?” This changed his expression. He thought about it, and he knew it had been there for awhile. “I can give you a quarter deal on it, but more than that would be a little weird. I might have to fudge numbers.”
“You can price up a few other popular things slightly and make back the change in one sale.” This got him, too. “I can pay $8.” He still didn’t agree, but said he had a final offer—I pay an even $9. This was my goal, and I liked it. I asked for $9 after tax, and he said he didn’t want to figure that out, plus what he would do with the numbers. That seemed like a deal-breaker from his voice, so I just took the deal. It wasn’t a great one—just saving 75 cents, but there is something thrilling about that.
The key seemed to be engaging a person who has an interest in negotiating. Maybe he was allowed to negotiate—the prices may not be fixed at all, and perhaps he took me, but I saved more than the average person paying sticker price. I don’t plan on negotiating the price of most things, because most people don’t stand to benefit, but this one actually worked out—even if I look like a nerd for buying an old video game.
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