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Even in Mexico where mom and pop shops still mostly don't have price tags and price is most always verbally agreed upon apparently they are very sticking to the price they say and won't go down nor try to win you while you walk to the next shop. This was back in 2018 and 2019.
My theory is that in the past such shop keepers regularly got away with quoting a price for 400% or higher what it should cost as shoppers particularly tourists didn't know better however these days everyone has a smartphone and can check how much Amazon sells the same item. Thus I guess now these shops already try to to quote the lowest price while staying afloat. I remember back in the days stand owners or mom and pop shops often quote a $5 cowboy straw hat for as high as $25 and using the excuse that department stores sells the same hat for $40. And being south of the border his/her price is a bargain compared to north. But If you appear to walk away they would lower the price to $20, and $15 sometimes. This was back in 2012.
Nowadays they would say its $18 for the same hat but its take it or leave it and non negotiable. They won't let it go for $15 even if you walk away despite how they would still make $13 for selling the same hat. Paying in Pesos still gets you a 20% discount though.
But I am surprised Innkeepers of independent motels who are allowed to make their own decisions would rather let a room go empty than to price match with online prices despite the room likely sitting empty for the night. It may just be a $25 difference. And I heard Innkeepers dislike it when people book online. Than why not just rent the room for $20 less, but cutting the third party broker out. I mean woudn't they keep more of the money than if the family booked online and won't let the room sit empty overnight.
Interesting I have a gardener from Mexico he used to give us great bargains, but now he walked away because he keeps rising his prices unreasonably high we tryed to find a middle ground about $5 less but he walks way just because he was paid $5 less. He had been with us for years. Started at $30 a job but end up demanding $95 up from $70. Tried to bargain down to $85 for six more months but he left. Saying that they don't bargain at the indepedent shops in Mexico any more either take it or leave it.
Even in Mexico where mom and pop shops still mostly don't have price tags and price is most always verbally agreed upon apparently they are very sticking to the price they say and won't go down nor try to win you while you walk to the next shop. This was back in 2018 and 2019.
My theory is that in the past such shop keepers regularly got away with quoting a price for 400% or higher what it should cost as shoppers particularly tourists didn't know better however these days everyone has a smartphone and can check how much Amazon sells the same item. Thus I guess now these shops already try to to quote the lowest price while staying afloat. I remember back in the days stand owners or mom and pop shops often quote a $5 cowboy straw hat for as high as $25 and using the excuse that department stores sells the same hat for $40. And being south of the border his/her price is a bargain compared to north. But If you appear to walk away they would lower the price to $20, and $15 sometimes. This was back in 2012.
Nowadays they would say its $18 for the same hat but its take it or leave it and non negotiable. They won't let it go for $15 even if you walk away despite how they would still make $13 for selling the same hat. Paying in Pesos still gets you a 20% discount though.
But I am surprised Innkeepers of independent motels who are allowed to make their own decisions would rather let a room go empty than to price match with online prices despite the room likely sitting empty for the night. It may just be a $25 difference. And I heard Innkeepers dislike it when people book online. Than why not just rent the room for $20 less, but cutting the third party broker out. I mean woudn't they keep more of the money than if the family booked online and won't let the room sit empty overnight.
Interesting I have a gardener from Mexico he used to give us great bargains, but now he walked away because he keeps rising his prices unreasonably high we tryed to find a middle ground about $5 less but he walks way just because he was paid $5 less. He had been with us for years. Started at $30 a job but end up demanding $95 up from $70. Tried to bargain down to $85 for six more months but he left. Saying that they don't bargain at the indepedent shops in Mexico any more either take it or leave it.
It's all about supply vs demand. If your gardener can get $95 from your neighbor down the street for doing the same work, why should he do your job for $85? Similarly, if you can find someone else to do your job for less than what your long time gardener wants, you're free to hire the new guy and let the old guy go.
This haggling business with extreme markups and much time and energy wasted in negotiating a decent price only works when the buyer has limited access to suppliers of similar products and limited time in searching for a lower price.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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The last time I did this was buying a new SUV in 2001, between Thanksgiving and Christmas, after the 9/11 tragedy. The salesman kept going back to the manager who kept rejecting my offer, and I walked out 3-4 times, and he kept chasing me back. Eventually they did the deal I wanted, $8k off the sticker, but it took from 5:30-9:00pm. It was great fun! Since then I have bought 4 other vehicles and in every case (the last in 2020) they have agreed to my offer the first time. Now of course, that's not going to happen unless the offer is well over sticker.
I have also gotten lower prices for Comcast/Xfinity Sirius XM by calling to cancel a couple of times each, but again, before Covid.
Even in Mexico where mom and pop shops still mostly don't have price tags and price is most always verbally agreed upon apparently they are very sticking to the price they say and won't go down nor try to win you while you walk to the next shop. This was back in 2018 and 2019.
My theory is that in the past such shop keepers regularly got away with quoting a price for 400% or higher what it should cost as shoppers particularly tourists didn't know better however these days everyone has a smartphone and can check how much Amazon sells the same item. Thus I guess now these shops already try to to quote the lowest price while staying afloat. I remember back in the days stand owners or mom and pop shops often quote a $5 cowboy straw hat for as high as $25 and using the excuse that department stores sells the same hat for $40. And being south of the border his/her price is a bargain compared to north. But If you appear to walk away they would lower the price to $20, and $15 sometimes. This was back in 2012.
Nowadays they would say its $18 for the same hat but its take it or leave it and non negotiable. They won't let it go for $15 even if you walk away despite how they would still make $13 for selling the same hat. Paying in Pesos still gets you a 20% discount though.
But I am surprised Innkeepers of independent motels who are allowed to make their own decisions would rather let a room go empty than to price match with online prices despite the room likely sitting empty for the night. It may just be a $25 difference. And I heard Innkeepers dislike it when people book online. Than why not just rent the room for $20 less, but cutting the third party broker out. I mean woudn't they keep more of the money than if the family booked online and won't let the room sit empty overnight.
Interesting I have a gardener from Mexico he used to give us great bargains, but now he walked away because he keeps rising his prices unreasonably high we tryed to find a middle ground about $5 less but he walks way just because he was paid $5 less. He had been with us for years. Started at $30 a job but end up demanding $95 up from $70. Tried to bargain down to $85 for six more months but he left. Saying that they don't bargain at the indepedent shops in Mexico any more either take it or leave it.
Have you considered inflation? Supply chain problems and inventory issues? Higher cost of labor, food, energy, taxes? Lack of employees?
I do discounts, bargain and barter with customers all the time, but not at all with the ones who are hard to please or expect a big discount for a small job/item. If you're spending $1000 I have more wiggle room than the cheapskate who balks at $10. And I definitely don't discount prices on items where there are shortages.
Have you considered inflation? Supply chain problems and inventory issues? Higher cost of labor, food, energy, taxes? Lack of employees?
I do discounts, bargain and barter with customers all the time, but not at all with the ones who are hard to please or expect a big discount for a small job/item. If you're spending $1000 I have more wiggle room than the cheapskate who balks at $10. And I definitely don't discount prices on items where there are shortages.
This was back in 2018 I didn’t remember all these issues that bad back then but I could be wrong though.
I still don’t understand why innkeepers won’t price match for one night. With online third party rates. I mean they get to pocket more by selling the same room for the same price but by cutting out the “middle man?”
I still don’t understand why innkeepers won’t price match for one night. With online third party rates. I mean they get to pocket more by selling the same room for the same price but by cutting out the “middle man?”
I would say there is a good chance that you don't understand the deal that the third party has with the motel owner. It may not be structured like you think. They may not be, and probably AREN'T, working on a straight commission basis as you are assuming.
Instead, they may be getting paid by getting a few rooms free to rent for any price that they can get after they have rented a certain number of rooms for the motel, and they get to keep 100% of the rent of these few rooms. So, after the third party has rented their quota for the night, they rent the free rooms that they get for whatever price they can get. Sometimes that price may be less than what the motel would charge if you called them direct. There are all kinds of ways to structure payment besides a straight commission.
I would say there is a good chance that you don't understand the deal that the third party has with the motel owner. It may not be structured like you think. They may not be, and probably AREN'T, working on a straight commission basis as you are assuming.
Instead, they may be getting paid by getting a few rooms free to rent for any price that they can get after they have rented a certain number of rooms for the motel, and they get to keep 100% of the rent of these few rooms. So, after the third party has rented their quota for the night, they rent the free rooms that they get for whatever price they can get. Sometimes that price may be less than what the motel would charge if you called them direct. There are all kinds of ways to structure payment besides a straight commission.
In the old days prior to all these third parties Innkeepers routinely allow bargaining the price lower. Interesting these third party apps Changed things to this way. Interestingly I heard innkeepers really dislike these third party sites. Sometimes there are a lot of empty rooms left. And it’s only a matter of booking online through them or with the motel directly that’s the only difference.
About ten years ago guides say it’s possible to stay at the Shangri-La for half its $200 nightly rate if one bargains hard enough for available rooms. I guess those days are over.
It's all about supply vs demand. If your gardener can get $95 from your neighbor down the street for doing the same work, why should he do your job for $85? Similarly, if you can find someone else to do your job for less than what your long time gardener wants, you're free to hire the new guy and let the old guy go.
This haggling business with extreme markups and much time and energy wasted in negotiating a decent price only works when the buyer has limited access to suppliers of similar products and limited time in searching for a lower price.
Interesting the neighbor is willing to pay more for gardening. Apparently it’s only recent years. I remember one gardener that came every two weeks for twelve barely raised prices and only twice and more more than 30% the original price. But the most recent gardner ended up more than doubling his price in six years.
Expenses are up and profit margins are low, so businesses/people aren't in the mood to move much in price. , Annoying customers who actually have the means to pay but choose to deprive business of reasonable profit are despised. I'm never desperate for food money so if I run across that situation, I will shoot myself in the foot before relenting to those types of customers. Others may not have that luxury. That said, there certainly is an art to the deal and if a customer approaches me right and tries to encompass a few items at a slightly reduced price I may be willing to make a deal.
Expenses are up and profit margins are low, so businesses/people aren't in the mood to move much in price. , Annoying customers who actually have the means to pay but choose to deprive business of reasonable profit are despised. I'm never desperate for food money so if I run across that situation, I will shoot myself in the foot before relenting to those types of customers. Others may not have that luxury. That said, there certainly is an art to the deal and if a customer approaches me right and tries to encompass a few items at a slightly reduced price I may be willing to make a deal.
Just curious whether you are at a place where prices are verbally agreed upon, Ie flea markets, mobile vendors, or a mom and pop shop maybe in a place like Mexico where prices are verbally agreed upon.
I guess in the past they were able to trick enough gringos and tourists to pay an average of $20 for a $5 cowboy straw hat to be profitable to occasionally let one go at $10 but not anymore. These days if they try to charge $25 for a hat people would go on their smartphones and look up how much a similar hat cost and would not buy it. Thus shopkeepers and vendors changed their strategy and quite a lower price instead just enough to allow them to live by while keeping customers through the door.
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