Who pays retail at their Stihl dealer?

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The only saw I bought from a dealer was a ms271. They are local, sell auto parts, and all kind of power equipment parts. They've been in business a very long time. I paid retail for the saw and no problem doing so. It's not like beaucoup competition and sales volume. That said, if I can pay cash I will always ask for a discount. If they say no then I hand them my credit card, its not extra money out of my pocket but could be theirs. But what I get for paying retail, and indeed expect, from that dealer is excellent customer service.
 
I wonder how many of the buyers who demand a discount are willing to offer one as a seller/vendor/business owner?

I have a BBQ business and offer a law enforcement, fire department, military discount and will also discount if the proceeds of the event are for charity. Truth be told if I talk to you on the phone and your nice and it doesn't seem like your gonna hassle me I would give a better price than a snappy person that thought being short with me would be okay.... In other words I am willing to adjust my profit margins for a good customer or certain circumstances.

I do not pay to advertise and anyone that comes to me has had my food at an event I have done and want me, I'm not the cheapest and I'm not the most expensive.

It's interesting reading all the replies, much as I suspected there is chainsaw dealer edict (sp?), none of us payed the sticker price on the vehicles we drive, am I wrong?

Stihl dealers are very plentiful in my area, in a 30 mile radius I have easily 10 dealers. To some extent it should be a buyers market, I want them to make money, but I want a good/fair deal.

I get your point though, everyone is a friend of a friend and everyone wants you to live lean while they live high on the hog, I'm just curious what the sweet spot is, as others have mentioned 10% walking in the door without haggling would make me happy.

Jason
 
As I've mentioned in the past, some credit cards offer smoking deals at times on purchases made within 90 days of applying for, and being accepted for a new card.

The last one I applied for, I got $250.00 off a purchase of $1000.00 or more. That's how I came to buy my MS-461R. :)

The final price on my brand-new MS-461R was well under $600.00
 
I have a BBQ business and offer a law enforcement, fire department, military discount and will also discount if the proceeds of the event are for charity. Truth be told if I talk to you on the phone and your nice and it doesn't seem like your gonna hassle me I would give a better price than a snappy person that thought being short with me would be okay.... In other words I am willing to adjust my profit margins for a good customer or certain circumstances.

I do not pay to advertise and anyone that comes to me has had my food at an event I have done and want me, I'm not the cheapest and I'm not the most expensive.

It's interesting reading all the replies, much as I suspected there is chainsaw dealer edict (sp?), none of us payed the sticker price on the vehicles we drive, am I wrong?

Stihl dealers are very plentiful in my area, in a 30 mile radius I have easily 10 dealers. To some extent it should be a buyers market, I want them to make money, but I want a good/fair deal.

I get your point though, everyone is a friend of a friend and everyone wants you to live lean while they live high on the hog, I'm just curious what the sweet spot is, as others have mentioned 10% walking in the door without haggling would make me happy.

Jason


10% off MSRP is a very reasonable request. Some Stihl dealers will happily oblige you, and others will tell you in so many words to go fly a kite.
 
I know of one dealer who offers a discount but is over an hour drive away and not open on weekends. I work 5 days a week most weeks, so I can't get there reliably. Ironically, the place I get the best discount is the local pawn shop. I trawl there often and have gotten several really good deals on outdoor power equipment. I just know what to pay for it beforehand. ;)

I agree with guido's post, I work in a business where pricing is set for the customer. I can't change it at all and freely tell the customer that. There have been a few exceptions, such as manufacturer rebates which I do mention. But rebates are rare in my business. So I guess that is why I don't ask for a discount at retail stores usually. An item should be the listed price, and if there is an exception, it should be told to most customers. Judging by the CHEAP rednecks around here, no discounts are given at 99.99% of freestanding dealers. I doubt I am a popular face in my dealer because I show up, ask a very few questions and very rarely buy something. Partly because I am not brand loyal. I buy the piece of equipment I like best, and have yet to see a brand that has the best across the board of trimmers, saws and blowers. My current lineup reflects my lack of brand loyalty.

The other reason, is some dealers won't talk to you long, if you don't buy. I can understand both sides of the coin in the "buy or leave" view. I get a lot of window shoppers who ask questions but don't use my services. Annoying. But if you won't talk to me before I buy, how do I know that you will talk to me after I buy? Overall, 10% is nothing to bust a vessel over.

Free Will, sounds good, if you can cancel the card after paying the charge. Otherwise, interest will eat you up.
 
Most of the hagglers are guys that do so on every purchase, and are guys that will drive 50 miles to save $5 on a loop of chain.
But as far as expecting any loyalty from giving them a discount...... Forget it....

Dealers only really notice buyers that BUY Equipment, parts, supplies, because time is money....
And in turn, they should take care of these customers.

Rednecks that want to haggle over a free file, a hat... Well.....

Stihl dealers are different, since Lowes doesn't sell Stihl.....

I dunno..... The redneck A.S. member.......... Most Stihl dealers would probably give them directions to the nearest Stihl dealer in the next county......

We used to deal with some a-hole loggers in Anderson county..... They never bought any saws from us, would come in every now and again to try and haggle on chains, all of the time, trying to tell me how valuable a customer that they were....
Saying that the dealer in Waddy, Ky. sold them chains for $xx a loop.....

I would just point to the road to Waddy, KY......... Said, it is @ 30 or so miles away........... Of course they never bought a saw from us...... Never brought a saw in for repair.... But would feel free to come in all of the time and ask 1,000,000 questions on how to fix theur saw.....

An actual buyer from an actual commercial customer........ Well, he could probably negotiate, but if he didn't bring in some business....... Why give away profit?

I am just trying to wake some of you guys up..... Just because you fiddle with saws, cut some firewood, maybe sell a few logs, don't expect some "commercial" status.


Just because you have a friend at a Stihl dealer that is stupid enough to give you a handful of tiestraps, doesn't mean that Stihl gives them away for free.....

Sorry, just rambling.....
Glad you threw in that last line there, you sounded pretty disdainful of the customer. If you were my local dealer, I might be going a little further down the road. I have no big time dealers in my area. One is an auto parts store that I would not buy a saw from, the other two are F+F hardware stores. They are owned by the same guy and managed by different people. The closest one hires minimum wage people with no clue and he teaches them nothing. The other hires retired plumbers and electricians, people with a clue. That's where I go. I never demand anything, I make offers in a respectful way. When it works for him, I have gotten some big discounts on a few major items. In return, I make it a point to stop in and buy ahead. A case of WD-40 or a pick up load of softener salt. The manager is a sharp guy and really knows how to run that place.
 
I will say this there's many ways to run a business and only a few that will last very long. Also haggling is a good thing but beggars or high expectations usually end up costing yourself money in the long run.
 
Yeah, I am disdainful of a-holes haggling over a repair bill. and they are biatchin about me charging $2.49 for a spark plug.

They say, "WalMart sells the same plug for $1.89"!!!!

I have been known to say, "Take your ass to WalMart!!!!!!"...
Haggling over a repair bill vs new equipment is a whole different situation. I rarely if ever negotiate a repair bill with a customer unless he brings something to my attention that I messed up on or was unaware of. Cash always gets a 5% discount otherwise it is what it is.
 
Yeah, I am disdainful of a-holes haggling over a repair bill. and they are biatchin about me charging $2.49 for a spark plug.

They say, "WalMart sells the same plug for $1.89"!!!!

I have been known to say, "Take your ass to WalMart!!!!!!"...

Haven't stepped foot in a Walmart in over 10 years... buy American whenever I can, and absolutely support small business whenever possible. I also am a well informed consumer and only support business that treat employees well. This is not a union thing, this is supporting quality employers.

Having said that what's the big deal wanting a modest 10% off retail on the purchase of a new saw? I'm just confused why the edict is that it's okay to haggle a car purchase, a home purchase or even a gun purchase, but people take it personal when looking for a discount on a chainsaw???

As others have mentioned I do not ever haggle accessories, chains, oils, parts always pay asking price. I understand I'm paying for the convenience of those things being in stock and the knowledge behind the counter.



Jason


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
I think it really depends on each situation . If the dealer has three of the latest and greatest, knows he will sell out in three weeks, why discount? If he has three that he knows won't be gone in a year, make an offer.
 
I know of one dealer who offers a discount but is over an hour drive away and not open on weekends. I work 5 days a week most weeks, so I can't get there reliably. Ironically, the place I get the best discount is the local pawn shop. I trawl there often and have gotten several really good deals on outdoor power equipment. I just know what to pay for it beforehand. ;)

I agree with guido's post, I work in a business where pricing is set for the customer. I can't change it at all and freely tell the customer that. There have been a few exceptions, such as manufacturer rebates which I do mention. But rebates are rare in my business. So I guess that is why I don't ask for a discount at retail stores usually. An item should be the listed price, and if there is an exception, it should be told to most customers. Judging by the CHEAP rednecks around here, no discounts are given at 99.99% of freestanding dealers. I doubt I am a popular face in my dealer because I show up, ask a very few questions and very rarely buy something. Partly because I am not brand loyal. I buy the piece of equipment I like best, and have yet to see a brand that has the best across the board of trimmers, saws and blowers. My current lineup reflects my lack of brand loyalty.

The other reason, is some dealers won't talk to you long, if you don't buy. I can understand both sides of the coin in the "buy or leave" view. I get a lot of window shoppers who ask questions but don't use my services. Annoying. But if you won't talk to me before I buy, how do I know that you will talk to me after I buy? Overall, 10% is nothing to bust a vessel over.

Free Will, sounds good, if you can cancel the card after paying the charge. Otherwise, interest will eat you up.

I failed to mention the only cards I apply for have at least 12 months 0% APR. More times than not, I can get 15-18 months of 0% APR if I look hard enough.
 
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