When spending $3000 with a dealer, is it appropriate to ask for a bundle/discount?

Thread title says it all. I am going to my local dealer for a long awaited stereo upgrade tomorrow!

I am purchasing a Phono Pre, A Power management system (Shunyata PS8) and perhaps some cables.

 

I normally expect (and get) a 20% off MSRP concession from brick and mortar dealers.

 

Whether buying a washer/dryer set, furniture, a stack of albums or stereo equipment, I always haggle. The worst case scenario is the dealer will say no. Never hesitate to bargain for a better price.

 

Of course! No matter what you spend it's appropriate. Even online. I've had some good discounts from Music Direct and Acoustic Sounds. On vinyl. Another online retailer sent me a second copy of Dead Can Dance's Spiritchaser lp because the first copy had a little dent in the corner. Told me to keep both.

'Course you gotta be nice and don't expect anything.

 

You shouldn't even need to ask.

 

Excellent! I always feel guilty trying to haggle with non big box establishments. I know that's silly and it's something I need to cut out.

 

I'm on the other side of the fence- I hate haggling. I'll do it, but I long for the day when the price is the price, and negotiation skills don't need to be rewarded (or used against others).

 

Of course you should ask when spending that kind of money. The real question is whether you should walk if you get rebuffed completely. I have no idea, as I don't know the value (to you or anyone else) of what you're planning to buy. But it's a question you should consider before broaching the subject.

 

Hell yeah !

D.D.

 

Don't. To any salesman worth his salt a haggle is a sign the customer is a serious buyer.

 

Oh yeah !! I always bargain.

 

Really??!? Man, I never considered it with those places - good on ya.

 

If you're going to whom I think you're going to, they'll give you some discounts without even asking, I'm pretty confident.

A great place.

 

And not to be too obvious, but if you're spending cash instead of putting the purchase on plastic, you're generally going to be more likely to receive a discount when you ask.

 

My guys in Grand Rapids always give a discount and pay for shipping. Heck, they even pay to ship my records after a smoking deal. I'll probably have to buy the seafood when they darken my door in Houston. But I am not good at haggling. I figure if it is the price I want to pay, I pay it.

 

Not exactly the same thing, but I remember doing a FULL install for my car - speakers, amps, head unit, the works. The salesman wanted to hit me for list. I told him no way in hell. Surely spending all this money you can trim here and there. "Surprisingly" - he found ways to chop hundreds off the prices of things - I got the head unit for almost half! Guess he didn't want a hefty stack of dead presidents walking out the door.

 

Wow, I rarely ask for a discount, especially when dealing with a local ma-n-pa HiFi shop. The fact that so many of you expect a discount is pretty telling... no wonder customer service and inventory is so horrible these days.

I've always considered paying full retail the cost of getting good advice along with good pre and post sales service. In fairness, post sales service is pretty lacking, but I guess if 95% of customers expect an effing discount then who can afford to spend the time afterwards.

p.s. I've also always thought of high end cables as the tax for dealing with a knowledgeable and helpful dealer. I know they are way over-priced, but I also know that dealers make great margins on cables and I want my dealer to earn a good living.

 

Brian, it's not that we *expect* a discount, just that we have an idea how much things are and how much markup is involved. Simply put - lets meet at a point where either one gets screwed.

 

My understanding (perhaps I'm wrong) is that typical markup is 50%. Out of that 50%, the dealer has to pay for showroom space, inventory, IT, web presence, marketing, etc, etc, etc. All before he pays himself. At a time when there are fewer and fewer of us buying this stuff.

I don't see it as the buyer getting screwed so much as the dealer being virtually extorted since he knows you can find some other guy online who hasn't invested any time in trying to make the sale to sell the item to you (and may have much lower overhead costs) at a deep discount. I don't blame you or the dealer, I blame the manufacturers. They should set MSRP and make everyone stick to it. That way the retail price wouldn't be so inflated.

I'm in sales and run a sales team. I almost never allow someone on my team to discount our price. If a customer pushes back, I tell them to explain that we set a fair but firm price so that everyone can trust that they are getting a good deal. If a customer insists, we're prepared to walk away from the deal. Even the most vocal price hagglers tend to understand our position here if we are firm. I doubt we've lost more than a handful of deals by refusing to discount our price and, frankly, the customer's who'd be willing to walk away over a few bucks are probably not the kind of customers we want to build a longterm relationship with anyway.

 

For a small "ma and pa" shop selling vinyl I would usually not ask for a discount. Unless it was used vinyl in questionable shape. We're talking online retailers selling hardware and vinyl and local shops selling hardware.

It never hurts to ask. If no go, then go with the flow.

 

I'm glad that you don't run the sales team of my local hi-fi shop!

 

It never hurts to ask for a discount, in fact, I do with almost anything I buy...

 

I wish the retail price was the correct price. I deal with customers who buy Cisco products and depending on the volume of product they buy, Cisco offer a discount. The customer does not ask for it - they just get it. And it is substantial - over 50% sometimes. Why can't they just set the real price at that point and give all customers the same price?

From my point of view, I find "haggling" unseemly. It just doesn't suit my nature. I would probably not ask for a discount as it just does not sit right with me. I understand Brian's point completely. I know many proudly crow "I never pay retail" but that's just not me. I certainly look for bargains where the price is advertised (floor stock, cut out lines, demo gear) but I don't think I could ask for a discount. If it's offered without my asking, I am grateful and would take it for sure.

 

I have no small sympathy with your view.

While it is true we are currently blessed with several good online audio emporia (Audio Advisor, Acoustic Sounds, Crutchfield, Music Direct), I feel keenly that many local hifi salons exist on a knife-edge. I am not inclined to push them any closer to that edge. Having said that, the two or three places I frequent have been very forthcoming with 5% here, 10% or 15% there, without my prompting or wheedling. I feel well-served; and also benefit from their opinion and expertise as regards system matching, setup and prospective components. Needless to say, I do not "showroom".