Stihl Dealers Negotiate? Times Have Changed

[aandabooks]

Honestly, just in general terms and nothing specific, what is the mark up on Stihl saws? I've read a few of you on here are dealers and would obviously know.

My family used to be in retail, Sears Catalog Merchant, back in the 80s and early 90s before Sears closed down the catalog division. I know that the margin in retail is not great for the independent owner. Sears' at that time was 10 1/2%. All costs and overhead was paid by my parents. Most of the time the price was the price stated but occasionally we would knock money off for certain customers. Mostly on the appliances.

Matt

 

[Ed*L]

I get along well with my dealers that I support. I don't waste time trying to beat them up on price.
They give me what they can, throw in a free chain & several bottles of oil.
I might pay a little more but it comes back to me with good service. If I don't get good service, well, I won't be back.

A while back I was waiting at the Jred/Husky dealer for the owner to finish with the customer ahead of me. After the guy left the owner looks at me and says "I hate that sob, every time he comes in here he tries to beat me up on price, wants everything for nothing and wants it yesterday"

Sorry, but thats not the type of relationship I want with a dealer.

Ed

 

[THALL10326]

I get along well with my dealers that I support. I don't waste time trying to beat them up on price.
They give me what they can, throw in a free chain & several bottles of oil.
I might pay a little more but it comes back to me with good service. If I don't get good service, well, I won't be back.

A while back I was waiting at the Jred/Husky dealer for the owner to finish with the customer ahead of me. After the guy left the owner looks at me and says "I hate that sob, every time he comes in here he tries to beat me up on price, wants everything for nothing and wants it yesterday"

Sorry, but thats not the type of relationship I want with a dealer.

Ed

Your a smart man Ed. Your the type of man that would get a discount without even asking here. Its those that think they are due a discount or those that come every single time barking for a break that dealers get fed up with. We've had many come in here and pull the "whats my price number" like they are better than everyone else. To them we always say your price is written in big bold numbers right on the price tag. Should see the wind get knocked out their sails when they realize they aren't any better than anyone else. Some walk out, some cool it and become good customers and then get discounts.

 

[Festus Haggen]

I wouldn't ask my dealer for a discount, I know he already knocks the price down for me. My father used to have a couple customers that would bring in a paper bag full of money to buy a new car, just hand him the bag and let him count out how much the car/truck was. One guy came storming in a few weeks later, demanding his cash-back that he saw on TV. He was pretty embarrassed when Dad showed him the paperwork where it was included in the price he paid already.

I have to laugh when I go to flea markets/yard/garage sales. People seem to think it's a right to not pay the marked price. I've told people before "if I wanted to change the prices, I wouldn't have spent the time putting the price on them in the first place!".

People just seem to be getting more discourteous and arrogant, and they ain't growin' the brains to back it up. Sad state of affairs.

 

[splittah]

It isn't like I asked for money off on anything. I was in talking with the owner of the shop discussing the quality of the chainsaws compared to the one my father had 20+ years ago. I NEVER told the gentleman I wanted a break on anything. It was just in discussing the saw that I mentioned that all the shops in the area listed the same MSRP online and I explained to him that I had always wanted to stop in so I figured I would come look for myself. to which he replied "well they do, but I think I can work on that price for you if you are interested in one" To which I replied "I have known of the shop for years, but was never in the market for a STIHL, however now that I am in the market for a good saw, he may just have picked up a new customer" We still haven't discussed selling price yet. To me it really doesn't matter at this time as I will be going back tomorrow to see about picking one up.

To me the fact that I have heard good things about him, the fact that he treated me as someone he wanted to spend some time with discussing saws, and the fact that he was willing to talk about working on a price and package as if I was a longtime customer already speaks volumes. The guy has a couple people working for him, as long as his service lives up to his rep he will have a customer for life BECAUSE of my first impression of him and the way he treated me.

If I had gone in there and he acted like he didn't have time, if he didn't care if I was looking to buy or not, or had a bad attitude or made some assinine comment about never cutting prices I would have left without saying another word to him and never looked back. In a situation like that I would travel miles to another dealer. Along with any negative word of mouth advertising, he may chuckle it off at first but someone like that won't be in business long IMO

 

[oneoldbanjo]

When I was looking to sell my 029 and move up to a better saw I asked my dealer if I got a 192T and a 361 at the same time could I get any off the sales price - he said there was so little profit on a saw that he couldn't do much with the price but could get me an extra chain or two. He does offer a 50% off on any accessories bought at the time of the saw purchase.

It is a good family run store and they are very helpful. I don't feel a bit bad about paying the list price as they are always there when I need them. They sharpen my chains for $ 5.00 and get them ready for the next day (even the 32 inch one), they take time to go through the parts catalogs and order those weird parts that I need like like the chain rollers to replace the little aluminum catchers and double dog kits for the 361. They know me and my wife and they help her pick out my Birthday and Christmas presents (PPE Helmet and Chaps this year), and when I see them around town I know they will recognize me as a good customer and friend - and not the guy that beat them up for $ 10 off on a saw price.

 

[Ironbark]

In the UK the best discount I've got on a Stihl saw was 22%.

Thing is it started off at £960 or about 1,872 USD :jawdrop:

 

[belgian]

Local police report on monday here mentioned that a gang was able to steal 22 saws with a local Stihl dealer during the night ...times have changed indeed :censored:

 

[Lakeside53]

In the UK the best discount I've got on a Stihl saw was 22%.

Thing is it started off at £960 or about 1,872 USD :jawdrop:

In the USA, 22% would put it below dealer cost! Way way below in many cases...

 

[THALL10326]

In the USA, 22% would put it below dealer cost! Way way below in many cases...

Exactly. The only dayumm discount I ever get is over at the burger joint. They give me the senior citizen discount even though I never ask for it. Whats up with that?

 

[lesorubcheek]

People just seem to be getting more discourteous and arrogant, and they ain't growin' the brains to back it up. Sad state of affairs.

I enjoyed your post Festus (I enjoy Gunsmoke also) but I want to say its my personal opinion that having brains or not ain't justification for arrogance or being discourteous.

Dan

 

[bookerdog]

Exactly. The only dayumm discount I ever get is over at the burger joint. They give me the senior citizen discount even though I never ask for it. Whats up with that?

Do you really have to ask? LOL

 

[THALL10326]

Do you really have to ask? LOL

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR, why do I even talk to you!!!!!!!!

 

[belgian]

Do you really have to ask? LOL

No, "sir"...

 

[THALL10326]

No, "sir"...

Ya know I got the AOL radio thing playing through the speakers as I type this. Guess what I'm listening to, MIDDLE AGE CRAZY by Jerry Lee Lewis. Man I need to go take a nap..........

 

[THALL10326]

No, "sir"...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVO_zmzkT6k&feature=related

Man Belgian ya gotta admit thats one helluva song by the Killer..

 

[Hugenpoet]

Exactly. The only dayumm discount I ever get is over at the burger joint. They give me the senior citizen discount even though I never ask for it. Whats up with that?

What burger joint are you talkin' about and how old do you have to be to be considered a "senior".

One should never pass up the chance to save a buck-but only providing the food is actually edible. Made a deal with my stomach a long time ago, I wouldn't put swile in it and it wouldn't talk back to me.

Hugenpoet

 

[belgian]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVO_zmzkT6k&feature=related

Man Belgian ya gotta admit thats one helluva song by the Killer..

Dang...Tom, you just made me feel like

 

[bcorradi]

Tom - If it makes you feel any better I still use my college id from about 10 years ago to get a discount at the china buffet down the street .

 

[scotclayshooter]

In the UK the best discount I've got on a Stihl saw was 22%.

Thing is it started off at £960 or about 1,872 USD :jawdrop:

a 361 in the us is $600ish in the uk £630 with 10% discount $1180 we have VAT at 17.5% $1005 so they must have bigger margins or is stihl charging much more in the uk for the same product?