Negotiate for instant savings

There are many individuals that I talk to that are simply afraid to negotiate…They hear the word and feel you should only negotiate when it comes to finalizing your starting salary or buying a car, if that. I beg to differ. There are many opportunities I encounter where I can improve those very valuable negotiation skills. As the old saying goes ” practice makes perfect”, I would encourage you to start small and try to negotiate once a week for a small value item. Then work your way up to some higher priced items and you will notice you skill will become second nature.

Just recently I have started to realize some savings with the help of my negotiation skills from a local retailer. This past weekend I was out of propane gas for my grill and needed to refill my tank. This local retailer had two prices for propane: Member Price for $16.99 and Non-Member Price for $21.99. As I was completing my purchase, I simply asked “Is there any other way to get the $5.00 member price savings outside of paying the annual fee?”. The attendant simply said “That is the only way but I will give you the discount on the general card that we hold up here at the register”.

Just like that I saved 22.7% or $5.00 on the propane refill by asking a simple question. I will deposit this $5.00 into my blog savings account and will continue to look for additional negotiation savings opportunities.