Society lives with rules. Everything about the way we live is just so. Two years ago I went through a revolving door the wrong way for an experiment for my sociology class and about 10 people who were waiting to go through the door wouldn’t go through until they could get it to go the right way. That said, I feel like while there are good reason for keeping all of these “rules” in our society such as to help keep things run smoother, there is also a time and a place for them to be broken. One time when it is okay to do this is with coupons and sales. While the coupon might say “Expires September 15th” it would not hurt to ask today if they would still accept it. You might be surprised by their answer. These limits on coupons and sales can often be bent and broken, especially if the sales people are willing. When I have asked if they would be willing to extend the coupon I am often surprised by how many stores actually can and will do this for me. However, it is also important to note that not every sales person is allowed to do this and that they have to follow the rules set by their company. Yet, many stores will do this either as an incentive for you to buy more or to get your loyalty. My mom was recently shopping and the saleswoman gave her back a coupon that specified that it could only be used. This ended up being good for not only my mom (who got 25% off another pair of shoes) but for the sales woman who was able to get another sale towards her commission. Therefore, asking to extend a coupon is not always purely selfish but can actually be good for both people because each has something to gain.
Another thing that I learned while I was working in retail is that sometimes you can get a discount when none is advertised. I worked at a smaller chain beauty product store and if someone were buying a large amount of one thing, say 20 bars of soap for a bridal shower, if they asked us for a discount we were allowed to give them 20% off. However, we were not allowed to tell them this. So, if a woman walked in and bought 20 bars of soap and never said anything about a discount she would pay full price. If another woman walked in and bought the same 20 bars of soap and asked for a discount, she would get one. While it does seem unfair that one woman would get a discount but they other wouldn’t the lesson here is that it is important to ask. Many retailers feel that if a person doesn’t ask for the discount that they don’t need a discount so they don’t advertise them. The worst that the sales person can say is “no” and in that situation you are still paying the same amount that you would have been anyway. If they say “yes” you can sometimes get a really good discount for a small effort. So while we may have been raised to at least try to follow the rules, fortunately those rules don’t always hold firm for sales and discounts. It can be difficult to flat out ask for a discount so if you have trouble with that start by asking if they will accept a late coupon, you might be surprised by the results.