Dealing With The New Bargain-istas In A Bad Economy

My Mother WasThe Supreme Bargaining QueenYes my mom-ster was never afraid to speak up and try to get a better deal. I used to think it was her biggest hobby. (She was 15 and my dad was 17 when they got married, so they were basically kids raising kids for many years.) Yet we always had a great meal on the table and always had nice clothes and always had a lot of friends and I know now that a big deal of that is because my dad was such a hard worker and my mom knew how to drive a hard bargain. When I was a kid I have to admit it used to get a little embarrassing

I remember When Sears Had this Photography Special

And Maybe They Still Do....

It used to be something like $9.99 and they took all these photos and then when you went to get your $9.99 picture..it somehow always turned out to be the worst one of the bunch.( The one where your kid had that "Walley-eyed" look or had a booger on his face or the red demon eyes-- etc. ) The really good pics and poses were somehow always included in the "upgraded" package and you had to purchase the entire package to get the ones that you REALLY wanted.
Well..my mom somehow ALWAYS ended up getting the whole package for $9.99. I remember her starting out with the line of "Look if I don't buy these you're just going to throw them away. Why waste these beautiful pictures? And the money I don't spend on these pictures I can go out in your store and spend to get my kids some new clothes..it's really a WIN-WIN.. you can give them to me or throw them away..but if you throw them away..I may not spend any more money while I am here today in your store"...Yada Yada LOL.! But she'd kill them with kindness..and somehow it worked year after year :)

And yet in the long run..I really think that Sears knew they were the winner winner chicken dinner!---YES! they gave my mom some pics that they would have just thrown away..but every school year..she bought clothes for all 3 of her children--- Christmas gifts for everyone were often ONLY bought there --- and they bought many appliances and tools there for years and years--mom was a repeat customer because Sears "gave" her something that they would have simply thrown away if she didn't purchase it ..and it ended up making them a lot more $ :)

Yes! I Have Been Around The Bargaining Block( A Time or 2 LOL!)

And being in a larger ticket retail business for over 30 years...I have dealt with many "offers" and Bargain-istas. I used to actually enjoy it!
I love a retail challenge--"Don't try to threaten me with a sale !!!" lol!
But in the past year...I keep coming into contact with what I call the "NEW BREED of BARGAINERS" who are simply down right rude, have no manners, and have let their expectations on what they are willing to spend VS. what they expect to RECEIVE for handing over their all-mighty dollars---become so AMAZINGLY UNBALANCED
that it often makes me think
What planet are they FROM?
It is still hard for me to believe what some people truly expect and ACTUALLY still believe that they will get anything worthwhile by being rude and demanding
( and I keep thinking there is some sort of a page missing here....)
For instance----
A few days ago on an item I have marked on a "clearance tag" at $299.00---a man (and I would have said a gentleman but he didn't come anywhere close to falling into that category ) anyways---he says to me "I'll give you a hundred bucks cash and load it up right now." So I politely tell him "Thank you for your offer, I really appreciate it..but the item is a marked-down clearance piece...I can't do any better than $299.00 plus sales tax." So then he kind of growls and he gives me this look like I am the Stupidest person who ever ATTEMPTED to walk the face of this planet and then he says "I don't think you understand-- I'm giving you $100 cash and I'm gonna take it now." So at this point I told him "I don't think you understand...I see you have a truck outside..I'll tell you what---go buy 20 of these at other stores today for $100---bring them all back to me and I will give you $200.00 each-----you'll make $2 THOUSAND BUCKS  and then we'll both be happy " :)
So of course he stormed out---
but this and several other instances have left me wondering where the " bargaining bully syndrome " originated?
is it a result from giving our children everything?


and wanting them to have a better easier life?
And now are some of these children who never learned to appreciate and never actually grew up and always learned to blame everyone else for whatever problem they might have...
Are they------
waking up in this new world of ours and having to struggle for the first time because mom and pops lost 50% of their life savings in the aftermath of this economic fiasco....and are not able to
bail them out anymore and give them everything they ask for?
And now are these indeed the bullies who are out there thinking that I should be giving them something for nothing?
I am sorry..I really am...but I am not running a charity.... I am still trying to run a small American business..and trying to stay in business...
You can ALWAYS make Ridiculous offers I will glady listen to those with open ears.....but don't be rude and act I like I owe you something
because that will never lead us to meeting somewhere in the middle :)