Asking for a discount at a mom & pop store

debodun

debodun

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Location
way upstate in New York, USA
I am shopping for a new vacuum cleaner. There a mom & pop vacuum store/repair shop in a nearby community. I know you won't get a discount by asking in a big box store, but would it be in bad taste to ask for a price reduction in a small, private shop? The last one I tried that with wouldn't and also wouldn't give me anything off for trading in the old one. He said said, "You're not shopping for a car, lady!", whatever he meant by that. I just think $900 for a canister vacuum is a bit pricey.
 

They were a bit abrupt in their response ,but most small business or dealing with high cost and razor thin margins. I would try qvc . A lot of them are just trying to hold on. The big box in some cases are under cutting them. So do not take it too hard.
 
I agree with pchrise. They are just barely making it. I would not ask for any discount.
 

I find the little shops are much more expensive than department stores or big box stores. Why would anyone pay more money for the same item they can get cheaper at big box stores? I don't think there's anything wrong with a bit of haggling -- if they want to make sales they should price their wares at par or close to with big box store prices. By all means ask for a discount - your not on this earth to subsidize rude shopkeepers.

We have a little town in Ontario that's a real tourist attraction and their cutesy little shops' prices are ridiculous -- geared to fleecing the tourists.... if they want to make money they should know that their high prices are a deterrent to sales.
 
Maybe i'm too cynical, but i find that some small shops inflate their prices purposely knowing that their "loyal" customers will pay extra just to be supporting local business, etc.
 
Cole Slaw said:
Maybe i'm too cynical, but i find that some small shops inflate their prices purposely knowing that their "loyal" customers will pay extra just to be supporting local business, etc.
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I agree, and it works both ways, they need to think of the customers. I'd be glad to shop local and I prefer to, but I'm not going to feel guilty for not giving them my money.
 
debodun said:
I am shopping for a new vacuum cleaner. There a mom & pop vacuum store/repair shop in a nearby community. I know you won't get a discount by asking in a big box store, but would it be in bad taste to ask for a price reduction in a small, private shop? The last one I tried that with wouldn't and also wouldn't give me anything off for trading in the old one. He said said, "You're not shopping for a car, lady!", whatever he meant by that. I just think $900 for a canister vacuum is a bit pricey.
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Much depends upon the store. If the small retailer has been in business for a long time, they can often get their products for the same prices as the big box stores. We have had good luck dealing with a local furniture store just a few miles away. A couple of weeks ago, we bought a spare refrigerator to put in the basement, and the local store price was as good, or better than the big box stores in the larger cities 50 miles away...and the local store offered free delivery the next day, as opposed to a 50+ dollar charge for delivery 4 or 5 days later.

insofar as $900 for a vacuum cleaner...that is Way Too Much. We used to go through a vacuum cleaner every 3 to 5 years...and then we bought a Dyson "Animal" well over 10 years ago...and it is till working like new...and I think we paid about $450 for it. I would strongly recommend that brand to anyone wanting a new vacuum, and Dyson makes canister vacs in the $500 range. With minimal care, I expect ours to last for many more years.
 
It depends upon the item and it's availability.

Around here the closest town is relatively small, and there are no big box stores. In order to make a purchase from a large retailer it would be about a 50 mile drive, so given the time and price of gas, it can make sense to purchase locally. It also helps to support our local community.

To my knowledge there isn't anyone in town who sells vacuum cleaners, so I couldn't purchase one there anyway. I'd do some research and then purchase one online and have it delivered to my door.
 
Holy cow! $900 for a canister vac? No way on God's green earth would I pay that for a vac, canister or otherwise. You can buy a Dyson for less!

Having said that, I'm a cleaning lady. It's what I do for other people five days a week, and I can tell you that I've used a lot of different vacuums. By far and away, the very best is the Shark Navigator Lift-Away upright. It's light, has a 25-foot cord, comes with easy-to-use attachments, and the canister can be detached from the upright and used for smaller jobs, odd spaces where the upright won't fit and on stairs. The filter is washable and will last for years so you won't be spending a small fortune replacing the filter.

They cost around $200-$225 and worth every penny. When I replace my vacuum, it will be with the Shark Navigator.

If there's not a Walmart, Target or Best Buy in your area, you can buy one on line.

Dyson? Yes, they're good, but way too pricey, and if a Dyson ever needs it, service is pricey as well.
 
Some of our local "Convenient Stores" buy some items at the Discount Sam's store and resell them at their stores with a mark up!!

I will never shop at their stores!!!
 

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