Befriending store employees can save you a little money. How? Store employees know everything about what's sold in the places where they work and could be very helpful in giving you timely tips [about deals, cheapest products, etc] that could save you a substantial amount of money. The good thing is you don't have to spend a penny to get these tips that will save you a lot of money. Just be nice and friendly.
I can say this is very true. I worked at a thrift store for a year as a cashier and I had a couple of regulars that came in every single day. They became like my friends and we got to know each other pretty well. They were very nice and in turn, I gave them discounts. I wasn't supposed to, but they deserved it. I didn't do it all the time, but every now and then, especially if they bought in bulk. But yes they help you keep up to date on deals coming and coupons. It's nice to make relationships like that anyway with people who genuinely care about you.
That is common in small stores where the owner gives a discount, but in larger stores I don't think that's allowed. The most that I had for free was extra gravy, lol.
I agree. It's a common trait here since people are very friendly here so it's not uncommon to see customers being chummy with salespeople and their bosses. Usually it gets you a bit more room to negotiate sometimes and most of the time the sellers will just give you an upfront maximum discount if you've shopped there frequently enough. I think sellers appreciate this as well since they get customers who prefer to spend at their place rather than anywhere else, even if it's at the cost of a little less profit.
Yes, I agree that this is a great way to save money. They can tell you when something that you are about to buy is going to be on sale next week. They can tell you if it is more beneficial to get another brand. I save money just from doing what I do anyway, and that's just being nice and friendly to everybody I meet. I just to work retail, so I can tell you from the other side of the register, if I like you I will give you tips, but if you are a horrible person to me, I'm not telling you anything. I don't care if you go broke.So it's just nice to be nice. My dad will even call them by their names and introduce himself and the whole thing. This is how I was brought up to behave. I don't call them by their name until we've been in that kind of relationship for a little while, but other than that, I have found that my dad is absolutely right.
Sounds like a great idea - but unfortunately not something that would work where I live - as although befriending store workers or even knowing the owner of a store will more often than not guarantee better service - it very definitely wouldn't result in any kind of savings - for the simple reason - that the only way we can make savings here is to take advantage of seasonal price fluctuations and make cost effective decisions whilst shopping - as none of our stores - big or small - ever offer discounts, take coupons or have special offers or deals of any kind.
