He approached the retail counter where the saleswoman was
standing. He hoped to negotiate a deal today. ... Though he was only 9 years
old, he knew he was on
his own in this particular circumstance. There was no turning back.
It was the first time our son had had the opportunity to
alter the rules in the retail game. The
baseball cap he wanted was five dollars more than he had. (Then there was the
tax) His brothers had been given the
same amount of money before we left for the three day trip to Ottawa to visit
friends. Two of the boys had enough money for their purchases. Our youngest did
not. A dilemma was presented. What could
he do? (More money was not an option. Another solution had to be found.) The store was closing and we would be on our way, soon.
A possible solution to his monetary crisis was presented to
our son. (If he were to lose out on buying this
much wanted cap, a lesson in “you can’t have everything you want’ would be the result,
a lesson we all have had.) Before his
brothers’ purchases were made, we held back one item, another baseball cap. It
would become the bargaining tool our youngest would need to solve his retail dilemma.
We rehearsed, at length, what he would say, to whom he would speak and why the
second -unpaid- hat would help. Everything was carefully scripted. Was he too young to match wits with a
seasoned salesclerk? We would soon find out.
With a clear cut strategy in place, he was ready to proceed.
His conversational skills were his strongest
suit so he hoped his ‘training’ there could be put to good use. He waited as the
woman at the counter moved towards her newest customer. At a height shorter than an adult, he was
hidden from view by the display counter, not easily seen or heard, when he spoke. Soon his
fears were allayed when she acknowledged his presence.
(I waited several meters away, hidden by a pillar while watching the
proceedings, not wanting to be noticed.) The animated drama began to unfold.
The success or failure of these negotiations was his alone
to bear. I watched as the saleswoman
left to speak to another person. ... (Speaking
to someone in charge was his only recourse, I had told him, minutes earlier.) He would have to ask for her superior. This would be a supervisor or a department
manager. These people were usually the
only ones with the power to intervene in a sales transaction in lowering a price. Now
two people were involved in his sales pitch. The deal was done; the
transaction, completed. He had brokered a deal and learned a valuable sales
lesson in the process. Words had power!
In the retail game anything is possible. All it takes is the
courage to ask the question. He had maneuvered himself
into a power position and garnered himself some wisdom in the process. ... Though we could have given our son the extra five
dollars, a principle was at stake here. In the real world, a money tree
does not exist and extra money is not always possible. Asking the question, "Would you accept...?" in any retail scenario never hurts.
Our youngest smiled. He had succeeded in purchasing his baseball cap at a price he could afford and had done it all on his own. He was respectful, polite and explained
clearly his intention: a price that was equal not better than the price being charged for his brother's cap. His reasonable request, coupled with two possible sales
not one, helped to cement the deal.
He was, after all, only 9 years old. The money he had was all he had
and money, he knew, did not grow on trees.
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