Financial Friday 5/21/10 - Don't Throw It Away Just Yet

Don’t Throw It Away Just Yet…

So in honor of this garage sale thing AND negotiation skills I talked about last week…I thought I would share something that happened to me a few weeks ago. I came across some items that were several years old that I have never used before. I probably couldn’t sell these items at a garage sale, and I probably couldn’t get much out of them through craigslist or ebay, so I thought I might go a different route.

All of these items were from the same store. So I called the store, and asked to speak to a manager. I told her that I have some brand new items that I have never used that I received as a gift. I don’t have a receipt, but would it be possible to receive some type of store credit? She said “We can probably do that. Bring it in, and we’ll see what we can work out.”

So I brought the items into the store. She said she couldn’t give me much because they were several years old. But there were 2 items that I got at least half the value for. At the end of it, she gave me a giftcard to the store for $24.84, and on the receipt it has a coupon for $10 off $50 purchase! Now I know that they will re-sell these items for more than they gave me AND make a sale off me and my giftcard. But I DON’T CARE! I made it seem like I needed to shop their anyways, and I will take whatever she can give me. So it’s a win-win for their store. Win #1 – they can sell those items and make a profit, Win #2 – I will be now shopping at their store.

Like I said, there really was no chance of me selling these items, and even if I did I definitely could not have gotten almost $25.00 out of it. So I’m happy with the turn out.

Moral of the Story #1 – Think! Before you throw anything away!

Moral of the Story #2 – Be truthful & VERY nice. If you are honest and very friendly, you will more than likely get the results that you want.

Moral of the Story #3 – It’s worth a shot! There’s no harm in asking.

Do you have anything you could return to a store to get store credit? Just like I said last week, you would be surprised how much you can accomplish if you just asked!!

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