That Same Old Money-Saving Tip, Again?
Searching for THE tip; in front of the computer screen, at my desk.
Another video about saving money to review. Though I’ve seen countless clips, I’m always excited at the prospect of learning a new tip, so I watch with interest as this new story begins. Our Heroine is introduced: a woman, much like me, is strolling through the local shopping mall, much like I’ve done countless times. The story continues and soon I realize I’m not seeing anything new… and after what is beginning to feel like a very, very long minute-and-a-half, I grow a little impatient. Come on! Where’s THE big tip, the super MAGIC key that’s going to make getting more for less effortless? I want to hear something so revolutionary that I’ll never have to even think of clipping coupons or waiting for the pre-post-new-arrival-clearance-off-on-season-mark-up-down sale. And just then, I hear the same two words I’ve heard countless times before: JUST ASK.
Every time I’ve heard the suggestion to, “Just Ask,” for a discount, I’ve thought to myself, “Yeah, sure…like it’s really that easy?” Words like, embarrassing, awkward, and shy come to mind. No matter how many times I’ve heard this advice from a vast array of experts, the most I’ve been comfortable with has been asking if a merchant accepted AAA discounts. Until recently.
Michael and I have had to do some considerable traveling lately. Asking for AAA discounts when making travel arrangements has not been a problem for either of us, and we’ve gotten some decent percentages off hotels and rental cars. I don’t recall exactly how it happened, maybe watching all these video tips gave us the incentive to just go ahead and give it a try, but something clicked, and after a few go-rounds with our, usual “Do you accept AAA?” a follow-up question emerged: ”And, are there any other offers or promotions that I might be entitled to which I may not be aware of?” GENIUS! (Thanks to Michael’s excellent word-smith skills). We’ve been using it ever since! Sales associates and merchants don’t seem to mind at all — in fact, they go out of their way to try to accommodate it! It empowers them to be creative, succeed at making a sale and provide great customer service. It’s really not embarrassing to say and we’ve both become completely comfortable using this phrase.
And, it’s saved us hundreds of dollars over the past few months. (Insert smiley face here, no, don’t, yes, no…)
I may not have actually learned anything “new” from watching that video about the woman, much like myself, in the mall, after all… I had the magic key all along, I just had to use it. So keep reading, researching, and of course, watching – because even though you think you may have seen and heard it all before, the cumulative encouraging effect just might pay off big.
Jamie, sltv
A couple of short videos on the topic:
Haggle for Great Deals!
Money Talks consumer advocate, Stacy Johnson
Haggle for Shopping Deals
KMBC-TV Kansas City reporter, Dion Lim
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