Ask for a Discount

There are so many products out there that proved successful in the market due to adapting the discounting model. Some even call it a happiness trigger.

The Entertainer, Groupon, Cobone, are just a few.

Many organizations even go to the extent of negotiating discount deals for their employees, take Emirates airline, for example. If you are lucky enough to have a job there, you will get discounts on many things, including restaurants, as well as, recreational activities. It’s part of your perks.

I even randomly discovered my company had some discounts in a few select restaurants… to grab lunch.

But then when it comes to us, as individuals, asking for a discount, we are sometimes reluctant. Unless, of course, you are at a swift shop or in the flea market and practicing your bargaining skills.

Recently, I have been testing this method… of asking for a discount.

Take, for example, Amazon. If you buy a Kindle edition book in Amazon, you get a discounted price for the Audible version. Being an Audible fanatic, I actually go for the Audible version first, and if I did like it very much, I would buy the kindle version. In that case, I am not getting the discount. Amazon built this discount model to perhaps encourage their customers to get more Audible versions.

I was disappointed. I thought I would get a discount. It’s the exact same book, and from my point of view, I should also get the discount. At the end of the day, I did get both the Kindle and the Audible versions of the same book. It shouldn’t matter which version I bought first.

I contacted customer service, and it seems like when a policy is a policy, you can’t do much about it, and although the customer service agent was empathetic with me, I still couldn’t get the Kindle version at a discounted price.

I did get however a 3 dollar discount in any purchase I would make. It’s a one-time thing though. It did make me feel better, but how about the other times I want to purchase the Kindle version after getting an Audible?

The answer to this question is still a mystery to me.

Another uncommon scenario, when I wouldn’t usually ask for a discount is in when you try booking an Iftar in a 7-star hotel, such as the Ritz Carlton. Another company event, I know. This time though, I was the one volunteering to make the arrangements. The pricing per person was a little bit above budget, and so I asked for a discount. I used my company’s name to try and “sell” them we would be a big number of people, and maybe future frequent customers?

They said they will check… I didn’t get the discount, but it was worth asking though.

Maybe it would work out, maybe just a little bit or maybe not at all. Whatever the case, it’s always okay to ask for a discount… and actually seeing the number of discounts given to different entities or due to different special occasions or events, I really do wonder what is the profit margin those organizations make without the discount.

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