[Jewelry making - Article 01087] - Re: [Orchid] Hagglers at your jewelry booth

[Richard Hart]

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    I just asked for a discount at a thrift store yesterday, got $5 off
    on a $40 televison stand. I bargain whenever I can. It's called
    negotiation. Haggling is defined as argueing about a price. I think
    haggling is about the buyer literally telling the seller that the
    object is not worth what they are selling it for. I have a retail
    store, and it is not unusual to be asked if I can give a discount.
    Some people ask for a discount because they are buying 3 pairs of
    sterling earrings, about $60-$80 total. 

    Some people try to not pay sales tax. As if I am going to take a
    chance on getting in trouble over $4 or $5 bucks. If they cannot
    afford the tax, they can't afford the item. 

    I usually explain that our prices are already as low as we can make
    them, that we are a small business and we would like to stay in
    business. Just last week I told my employees not to discount
    anything. With the price of metals at what they are, all inventory is
    discounted if it is not marked up to what replacement prices would
    be. I have felt the way you do, especially when someone offers 1/2
    the price you are asking. 

    Must be a cultural thing, it has always been Asian women at my
    store. That a customer wants to buy your work should be the focus,
    not that they are trying to get a better price. They are not trying
    to undervalue your work. They might not understand how much work or
    the price of the materials you used. What I have learned in 20 years
    of retail, add 10% to the price in the beginning. You can give a good
    customer a discount at your discretion, and you can give the person
    who tried to negotiate with you a "deal". 

    If you cannot lower the river, raise the bridge. It is about
    business. It is not about ego or self esteem. And I am curious, if 
you
    use gemstones, do you negotiate for a better price with gem dealers?
    If you do not, you are spending more than you need to. I get a
    better price just about every time. I have also raised my repair and
    custom prices as retail has slowed. What is happening in the U.S.
    looks like a downward spiral since 9/11. I cannot expect that there
    will be a reversal. Metal and gas prices might not go down. Indian
    restaurant I go to just raised the lunch buffet price from $6.95 to
    $8.95. 

Richard Hart
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