Is 'if you don't ask, you don't get' always right?

swelsbyuk

I am looking at buying a bike for my daughter that is for sale at £400 in my LBS.

Although I would say I have a reasonable relationship with the chap in there, we're hardly drinking buddies.

£400 is quite a lot to spend on a kids bike and, ideally, I would prefer to spend less. I am considering doing the "is that your best price" spiel but wondered what the likely outcome could be as I don't want to cause offence and ruin a decent relationship. That said, he hasn't offered a reduction or said "we'll see what we can do on the price".

So, can anyone suggest an apporoach I could take, or should I just pay up and support my LBS!?

.blitz

Always ask. retailers never offer to reduce the price but I firmly believe that anyone who doesn't ask is routinely paying 10% over the odds.

EyesintheSky

.blitz wrote:

Always ask. retailers never offer to reduce the price but I firmly believe that anyone who doesn't ask is routinely paying 10% over the odds.

This, it's his problem if he gets offended just by you asking if he can go any lower. Majority of LBS will reduce price by 10% to make a sale.

andy_welch

Yes, no harm in asking and traditionally shops have built a margin into their prices to allow for this. I expect that's changing though as they are forced to compete with the online guys who do advertise their best price (as you can't easily ask a web site for a discount). So the advertised price may be the best you can get.

Cheers

Andy

IBISMojoHDamon

Absolutely... If you don't ask... you don't get... If you ask nicely, why would he not?.... Or at least throw in a helmet or something :0)

I bought some S-Works MTB shoes, asked for discount and he gave me £30 off a £200 shoe... ;0)

swelsbyuk

The last time I was in the shop I noticed a sold sticker on one of the bikes which stated price, minus deposit taken and amount outstanding.

However, within that calculation there was also a 10% NHS discount. Noticing this is what made me think that he obviously does have a certain margin he is willing and able to trim.

simonp123

I'm always embarrased about asking for discounts, but in most cases for these sorts of things I do and get it.
Got 25% off my new frame by asking!

cat_with_no_tail

Yeh, I'd perhaps go down the route of asking for some free stuff instead of £ off (assuming of course, you need some stuff).

IME, you can usually get a better deal that way, comparatively more money off (although the cost to the LBS is about the same).

simonp123

Cat With No Tail wrote:

Yeh, I'd perhaps go down the route of asking for some free stuff instead of £ off (assuming of course, you need some stuff).

IME, you can usually get a better deal that way, comparatively more money off (although the cost to the LBS is about the same).

Agreed, did that with a bike shop a while back when I said that I could get the bike "x" ammount cheaper online. They said they couldn't match the price so I suggesting matching the value in goods, which they were very happy to do. As I needed helmet etc it suited me too, in fact I got more than the value in the end.

felix.london

I always ask for a discount

All the ski/snowboard shops 'round here give me 10-20% off marked (up) prices. I told my LBS (A specialized dealer) I'm in the market for DH bike and what's the best price he can give me for a Status II

- "the price is €2,899 no discount sir" was his reply. Needless to say I am now looking elsewhere.

supersonic

If stuff is reduced already I don't ask.

Small items I don't ask - but then I rarely buy from my LBS anyway.

mikeysickalrigh

Also, I'd try and get a helmet or high vis stuff thrown in as it's for a young person! They often do

northywales

Hi

Going off on a slight tangent...whats the typical etiquette / local shop reaction if you buy a bike elsewhere (Decathalon / Halfords / Evans / Germany) and then ask your LBS to service and pick up accessories etc?

i live a good hr from my nearest Boardman hut, about 4+ hrs from a Decathalon - but cant argue with their value, esp at entry level bikes. Or if local shop cant get the stock - as per Cube.


>>>Thoughts??

(sorry im a newbie beginner)

supersonic

They shouldn't mind - but expect higher service rates than if you bought from that shop, and lower priority if busy.

cat_with_no_tail

supersonic wrote:

If stuff is reduced already I don't ask.

Small items I don't ask - but then I rarely buy from my LBS anyway.

I'd not ask for money off. But I'd still ask them to throw in some free shlt.

Difference is, I'd be less likely to walk away if they said no to further reductions on sale prices. The way I see it is they've put it on sale because they want shot of it. If I'm going to do them a favour by freeing up display space, I want m-o-a-r!!!!!

.blitz

northywales wrote:

Going off on a slight tangent...whats the typical etiquette / local shop reaction if you buy a bike elsewhere (Decathalon / Halfords / Evans / Germany) and then ask your LBS to service and pick up accessories etc?

My lbs might be unusual but they welcome this sort of custom and quite often charge me just for the parts if I need something fixed. Can help to build up a relationship by actually buying something from them before you turn up on their doorstep with a pile of broken bits, and cake/biscuits/beer often goes a long way.

supersonic

I feel a bit sorry for them sometimes lol. I know they can't match internet prices, I know they have more overheads etc etc - sometimes I am happy to pay the premium because of the service.

.blitz

Agreed they get the sympathy vote from me too. They are just normal bikers anyway often happy to chew the fat

angry_bird

I'll occasionally ask for discounts but it depends what I'm buying and where from.

If it's something cheap then there's not much point really, managed to get 20% off a gopro chest mount by playing hard ball and then blagging a student discount, but wouldn't bother for anything cheaper.

I quite like my local shops, I go in a lot but don't buy much from them as they can't match internet prices and don't think it's fair to try and make them, so when I buy something it's normally not that expensive so I don't mind paying full price.

toasty

Unless a bike is in a sale already I'd always ask, if it's a shop that offers finance, play the "Would this be any cheaper if I bought it for cash?". They normally end up paying a big chunk for finance, so it's no loss for them knocking 10% off all prices.

Feel free to scour the net for a lower price, and asking if they'll price match, loads of places go for that.

RevellRider

supersonic wrote:

They shouldn't mind - but expect higher service rates than if you bought from that shop, and lower priority if busy.

Sorry, I have to disagree here. A decent bike shop shouldn't charge a different rate for servicing work if the bike isn't from them. It's not like they'll need specialist training, specialist tools or ordering totally non compatible parts (in most cases anyway)

simonp123

Toasty wrote:

Feel free to scour the net for a lower price, and asking if they'll price match, loads of places go for that.

Or at least get close enough that it is worth buying locally for peace of mind, service etc.

supersonic

Whether they should or not is not really the point, the fact is they actually do - quite a lot in my experience.

EyesintheSky

RevellRider wrote:

supersonic wrote:

They shouldn't mind - but expect higher service rates than if you bought from that shop, and lower priority if busy.

Sorry, I have to disagree here. A decent bike shop shouldn't charge a different rate for servicing work if the bike isn't from them. It's not like they'll need specialist training, specialist tools or ordering totally non compatible parts (in most cases anyway)

Not necessarily a higher set price, but more they are willing to offer a discount if you have invested money in their shop before, hence costing you more if you havn't.

Northwind

A shop that's offended by being asked for a discount will spend a lot of time being offended. You want to buy a bike, they want to sell a bike, everything else is just details.

supersonic

True... but do you ask in Asda for 50p off yopur bottle of wine? They make more money...

cat_with_no_tail

If I was buying a £2k bottle of wine, yes, I'd probably be looking for a discount. Because I'd expect the seller to be making more of a margin than Asda on their wines.

diy

I ask more often than not. I'll happily haggle in any shop with the exception of a supermarket. Never say "is that your best price" because you are asking for the answer to be "yes". Better to say can you do it for X. If they say no, see what they can throw in? then go to leave and say OK thanks I'll have a look around. Best way to flush out extra money off.

If they are peed off because you want money off, they are in the wrong job.

felix.london

Just got a €280 discount off a bike because I asked "what can you do for me on this?"

Alright, it's a used bike but was still in the shop with a price displayed on it of €2,280.

If you don't ask you don't get..yes it's always right!