that response was to zebra I know better than not quoting in a fast moving thread, really I do.
HOLY GOD THEY’RE EVERYWHERE! :eek:
Seriously though, I would think this is NOT the thread in which to try and sell mattresses…
Unless you were joking, in which case a smiley goes a long way.
Car dealerships do not want you to leave and will use any tactic they can legally get away with to keep you there. The odds are heavily against your returning to the dealership once you leave. The strongest tactic you can use when negotiating the price of a car is to leave. Give them your number and tell them to call you when they can make a better offer.
As catsix did, never negotiate the note because you will get screwed. They can find all sorts of ways to put you in a car for the note you want. Car salespeople never ask, "How much are you willing to pay for a car?” instead it’s "What are you looking to spend per month?”
A favorite tactic is to treat customers like sheep. The salesperson will say “Let’s go into the office and see what we can do” or something similar and then turn their back on you and walk into the building while never looking back. The majority of people will follow diligently along.
I was looking around at The Piano Warehouse at some used pianos. There were two that kind of appealed to me. One was $800.00 and the other was $3200.00. The salesguy kept repeating that the $800.00 one was “the best piano in the place!”
I was wondering if one of my kids had made it “backwards day” again.
This must be some otherworldly kind of shop where the best stuff is the cheapest and the worst stuff is the most expensive or something.
I still don’t have a piano.
And that’s a fact, Jack! 
Backwhen I was married to my ex, we were searching for a bed for our daughter. We went to one place and looked around. We saw a canopy bed that I knew was out of our price range, but my ex wanted the price anyway. So we found a salesman and he added it up and it was way over what we could spend.
My mistake was saying what our price range was. We looked at another bed with a headboard and side drawers. He calculates it and it comes in 4 dollars overmy limit. I went ahead and took it.
I had to wait 45 minutes at their warehouse and they wouldn’t help me tie it to my car. I get it home and open the boxes. No headboard. When I called back, the salesman told me he didn’t know I wanted the headboard so he didn’t put it in the price, but I could come in and buy it if I wanted.
So I cart everything up and take it back, spend another hour getting my money back.
Then, I went to another place, they had a nice bed much cheaper and when I got to their warehouse, the salesman had called ahead and the workers had it out and ready for me.
I knew where to go for furniture after that.
I bought my last car through www.edmunds.com. You can research the car you want, find the fair market value and then dealers email you with offers.
Because they know other dealers are contacting you, they bid low. I found the car I wanted, got financing on line went to the dealer and drove out with my car in half an hour.
If you want to browse lots without being bugged by salesmen, dress kind of grubby. You won’t even be acknowledged as a human being on the lot if you do’t look like you can afford a new car.
I remember Cliff Huxtable trying that one time on the Cosby Show. If I recall correctly, Sinbad was the car salesman.
Ah, good times.
I thought it was Gilbert Godfried.
Or be female and by yourself.
(Bitter? Me?)
That can work both ways, though. You’ll either be ignored completely, or the salesman (yes, usually a man) will see you and think SUCKER! And then try to sell you something for way more than it’s worth, assuming you have no idea what you’re doing there. It’s worse when they flirt.
Granted, I haven’t yet had to buy a mattress or car by myself (last car I got I was 17, and my dad came with me), but I HAVE had to buy various electrical equipment (computer, TV, etc), and it’s the same attitude.
OMG! I had this same experience shopping for a CD player!
I had researched what the best technology was, what to look for, what the good brands were, price points, everything.
I go to a big box store just to see what they have, and they sales guy tried to impress me with the fact that their CD players use laaaaaasers!!!
I think the “WTF?” look on my face scared him away, tho.
That is too funny! I can’t believe someone would try that in the 21st century!
A long while ago, I went to a car dealership to buy a used car. The salesman asked me what he would have to do to have me buy the car. I told him I wanted a three year loan with $200/month payments. He said no problem.
So I took the car, and came back the next day to sign the loan paperwork. The loan officer said, “Okay, let me explain exactly how this is all going to work out for you.”
I’m already going :rolleyes: .
“We’ve got you down for a 42 month loan at $387/month, with a…”
“Stop right there,” I said. “I agreed to a 36 month loan at $200 a month. What the hell is this?”
“I’m sorry, sir. But this is the best we can do.”
“Fine then. I’ll pay you for the mileage I used and be on my way.”
I ended up with a 36 month loan at $204.59/month. Perhaps it was because I was only 19 at the time they thought they could screw me?
Incidentally, a new guy at my work has a new looking car with a big sign in the back window saying, “Don’t buy from (dealership)!” It just happens to be the same dealership in the above story. Interesting…
I am rolling on the floor laughing over this one. Lasers? No shit, genious!
Sam
I so would have wanted to play along. “Really, the new CD players have lasers? Amazing! What kind of technology do the inferior ones use? So I know what to look for to avoid them, you know.”
Wait, they wanted you to pay more than twice the total price they eventually offered you?! :eek:
Essentially. I guess they figured I couldn’t do basic math.
I can’t help but to think my reply would have been along the lines of, “Well, I wouldn’t want to get you in trouble”, then turn around and walk out–without buying a damn thing.
racinchikki and I must’ve found the only good mattress store in the world – the prices were clearly posted, the guy didn’t argue with us when we went straight to the cheapest ones, and he even delivered it and helped drag it up the stairs for us for free (we bought it an hour before closing and our place was on his way home, but still).
Most of the small independent used-car lots around here give you the monthly rate first, but will tell you cash pric (which is half what their financing works out to) if you ask. I guess people are just nicer in small-town Texas.
The used-car subsidiary of the big car dealership (they’re in different towns), however, has salesmen posted outside who walk up to you before you even get out of your car. When I was taking pictures of their cars every week for their newspaper ad, it took until the 4th visit until they recognized me and stopped swooping down like vultures when I drove up. They did keep half-jokingly asking if I wanted to buy a car, though.
Helpful Hint: When buying an older used car (i.e., not last year’s model, but a 5 to 10-year-old one), if at all possible get a loan from your bank and pay the dealer cash up front. Much cheaper and less annoying than trying to finance it through the dealer.
Add real estate agents, insurance agents and telemarketers to the list…