Retirement is a week filled with Saturdays and Sundays interrupted only occasionally by a holiday.

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Thursday, June 7, 2007

It Doesn’t Hurt to Ask

As regular readers know, circumstances required me to purchase 4 new tires last Friday at a Big Box Warehouse in advance of a $60 coupon for those same tires which became effective this Monday (see here).

Empress Bee suggested in her comments (and most commenters agreed) that I should return to the Big Box Warehouse with the coupon and my receipt in hand to see if they would honor the discount and refund me $60. I wasn’t holding out much hope since Big Box stores are not known for their ability to “act outside the box.” Imagine my surprise when I went over there and was told by a very friendly young man in the Tire Center that he would most definitely refund the money. What a surprise!

So now I’m $60 richer and I owe Empress Bee a humdinger of a dinner if she’s ever in my area!!! Thanks Empress Bee!

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

That is impressive! I wouldn't have thought they would do that.

Empress Bee (of the high sea) said...

(insert big smile here) great news! i like chocolate! be there in a minute....ha ha

smiles, bee

Anonymous said...

You're right - it never hurts to ask!
Yay for the extra $60!

Susie said...

I'm glad they refunded your money! I wonder if it's at the discretion of each individual store?
Or perhaps...they've changed their policy since last year. Either way, I'm glad you got your $60!!
:)

jaded said...

That's the nice thing about being an adult. When you ask, the worst is someone will say no, but when you're a kid, the worst they can say is, meet me behind the woodshed.

Carole Burant said...

Woohooooo good for you!! I figured they would reimburse you as most stores do:-) Heyyyy can't you bring us all out for dinner??? hehe Oh, I guess you would need more than $60 for that! lol Have a wonderful day:-) xoxo

Special K ~Toni said...

That's extra money for your trip! Yeah!

the moose buyer said...

good for you!!!! Uncle Bill would be very proud of you.

Renee Nefe said...

I think many retailers have learned that it is much easier to give the customer what he/she wants and keep them happy than to argue over a little bit of money.

What you could have done if they had said no was to "return" the tires...and then "repurchase" them. Did they really want to spend that much in labor? nope!

We were at Wal-Mart the other day in the garden dept. We found two bunnies (younger than a year, but not the same age). They were eating some of the plants that were for sale. Another lady caught the attention of one of the sales folks and asked her about the rabbits. The clerk said "Wal-Mart can afford a few bunnies." I was very happy to hear that, 'cuz watching the bunnies is one of my favorite things to do there.

Renee Nefe said...

When does Renee get a nap? after 10pm. LOL

Pam said...

What a nice way to end the car saga. I HATE having to spend money on the car, but getting some back in the end would make it a little less painful. Maybe if I thought of the tires as shoes for the car it wouldn't be so hard... Too bad they don't come in pretty colors!

meno said...

So you should tell the name of the big box retailer so they can get the credit for acting like human beings.

Michele said...

Most stores do that... My store that I work in will honor any sales that come up in a flyer if you've purchased an item at regular price within 2 weeks-- that's with almost all stores that I know of, at least here in Canada.
Good job Joan!

Patti said...

Congrats Joan! you done good.

Now use the extra $$ to splurge when you are in Ireland.

Linda said...

What a wonderfully happy ending! It renews my faith in retail giants everywhere!

rosemary said...

60 bucks in hand and 7 days left before the trip....Meet you at Macy's.

Lynn said...

I'm glad that we both benefited from the $60 coupon;~)

Joan said...

Dana: I was shocked when the Tire Center guy said "Yes."

Empress bee: Ahhhh...chocolate. We're definitely kindred spirits.

Lynne: I do usually ask in dept. stores but I thought the Big Box store was a different thing.

Susie: After reading your experience, I was surprised at my success. I guess it does differ from location to location.

Patches: I guess that's ONE advantage of growing older. :~)

Pea: Let's see...how many Big Macs would $60 buy?!?!? :~)

Toni: That $60 is already spent a hundred different ways.

The moose buyer: I pretty proud myself!

Renee: Wow...Walmart has a heart...why does that surprise me?!?!?

Pam: Wow...tires as shoes...I like that image!

Meno: OK...we call it the "$199 Store" but you can call it Costco.

Michele: I know most dept. stores here will honor discounts within a few week period but I was surprised that a major discounter would do it as well.

Patti: That $60 is already long gone...sigh. :~)

Linda: Let's hope this is a new trend in retailing...satisfying the customer.

Rosemary: How funny you should mention Macy's...I was just looking at their ads in the newspaper this morning.

Lynn: We both "done good."

Kelly said...

My mother-in-law taught me how to do that. She had six kids and was always trying to find ways to save money.

Midlife Mom said...

YeeHaw! One for the consumer!!!! Good job, spend it on your trip!!

Joan said...

Myutopia: My folks were Depression era children and learned at an early age the value of a dollar.

Midlife mom: Yep...another consumer win!