Is it rude to ask for an employee discount?
Avoid Asking If You Can
“Asking your friend to purchase an item with her employee discount could put her in an awkward position and might jeopardize her job,” said Arden Clise, business etiquette and customer service trainer at Clise Etiquette.
- Just Ask! ...
- Be Polite – Kill them with kindness! ...
- Ask for a Manager – A normal salesperson or employee probably won't be able to give you a discount. ...
- Inquire About Future Sales – If they can't give you a discount, ask them if they can tell you when any upcoming sales will be.
- Clearly Demonstrate Your Value.
- Add More Value to the Deal.
- Ask “Why?”
- Quid Pro Quo.
- Ask the Prospect's Opinion.
- Offer a Month-to-Month Option.
- Explain Why You Don't Offer Discounts.
- Reschedule Your Conversation.
What is discount abuse? Discount abuse can be narrowly defined as employees using different discounts to reduce the price of any item in a way that the company would consider unacceptable. It is one of the most common types of employee theft.
- All I have in my budget is X.
- What would your cash price be?
- How far can you come down in price to meet me?
- What? or Wow.
- Is that the best you can do?
- Ill give you X if we can close the deal now.
- Ill agree to this price if you.
- Your competitor offers.
- Age or genetic information.
- Birthplace, country of origin or citizenship.
- Disability.
- Gender, sex or sexual orientation.
- Marital status, family, or pregnancy.
- Race, color, or ethnicity.
- Religion.
Employee Recognition And Morale
A significant employee discount on products and service can also lead to higher morale among the ranks. Offering a deep discount on products and service may make the recipient feel like a valued customer to the business as well as an appreciated employee.
Offering employee discounts can help you: Attract and retain employees. Boost sales. Increase brand loyalty.
When requesting a discount, be sure to include both the percentage of the discount and the total price you would end up paying. Professionals often ask for discounts with an odd percentage number, such as 3.5% or 7%. This shows the supplier that you have carefully examined their proposal and have a unique counteroffer.
As for your discount request, I'm sorry to say that we don't offer a discount. We believe that our service offers more value for your money and it will be unfair to other customers if we make an exception. Let me know if I can send you the contract.
Why do people ask for discounts?
Discounts make customers feel smart and confident in their shopping. There is no guilt or shame in buying a product when 50% off. This also validates their urge to buy the product at a discounted price so that when people ask how much they got the product for, they will proudly say how much they spent.
cut price | cut rate |
---|---|
lower price | money off |
price cut | concessionary price |
marked-down price |

Most employers who offer discounts to their employees have strict rules about using them. You could be terminated for mis using your discount. If it's against company policy, you can be fired for fraud without notice or pay.
It is not inherently illegal. The Doctrine of First Sale means that you can do whatever you want with the things that you buy. However, most employee discount agreements state that you will not resell them. While it is not a criminal act it is grounds for firing you or barring you from further discounts.
What is promo abuse fraud? In promo abuse or discount fraud, a bad actor abuses a business's promotional campaigns. Bad actors may attempt to defraud a business by using promo codes and discounts multiple times. Or they may abuse coupons and return policies to obtain goods for free.
...
Do:
- Frame the negotiations as a problem-solving challenge.
- Take the time to make small talk. It'll build connections you can leverage later on.
- Stress the areas on which you agree, and use words like “we” to signal you are invested in the relationship.
- Share the lowest terms you can offer and add variables. ...
- Examine why they want to negotiate and actively listen. ...
- Focus on the simplest issue first. ...
- Trade discounts for concessions. ...
- Convince them of the value of your product. ...
- Negotiate as long as possible.
- Ask for clarification.
- Explain what's going to happen next.
- Be honest.
- Reframe the “no” using positive language.
- Make the customer feel heard.
- Offer alternatives.
- Explain the reasoning behind the current design.
Employers don't want to see your lists of short-term employment. Go ahead and leave short-term employment out of your resume. Any position you've held less than six months (especially if you were fired or the position involved tasks you don't particularly want to perform at your current job) aren't worth including.
Some types of interview questions can be used to discriminate against applicants, and it is within your rights to refuse to answer them. Questions such as, "Are you married?" "What religion do you practice?" and "Are you a U.S. citizen?" are considered unlawful, among others.
Which of the following is inappropriate to ask on an employment?
We recommend that you avoid asking applicants about personal characteristics that are protected by law, such as race, color, religion, sex, national origin or age.
Employee discounts refer to the discount given on the original price of the goods or services by the company to their employees. Generally an employee discount is given as one of the fringe benefits.
Employee pricing is a selling strategy launched in 2005 by the auto industry in order to attract customers by using the discounted prices that auto industry employees pay for new cars rather than the sticker price MSRP.
In fact, 88 percent of job seekers give "some consideration" or "heavy consideration" to better health, dental and vision insurance benefits when choosing between a high-paying job and a lower-paying job with better benefits, according to a Fractl survey of 2,000 workers.
For goods/products, the allowable discount can't exceed the employer's gross profit percentage. Example: Your cost to obtain product A is $85. You sell product A to your customers for $100. This is a 15% gross profit percentage (the sum of the $100 sales price less $85 product cost divided by the $100 sales price).
(c) Normal accounting treatment—Reduction of costs. All discounts, allowances, and refunds of expenses are reductions in the cost of goods or services purchased and are not income.
In general, there's no law that requires companies to honor an advertised price if that price is wrong. Typographical errors, miscommunication and other glitches can result in items being offered at what appear to be deep discounts – discounts that would be ruinous for the company if it were forced to honor them.
It's always a good idea to call and ask for a lower rate. The company may comply, even if you've had the service for a while. There also may be new specials or discounts available that the company can offer you to help reduce your rate.
Noun The store offers a two percent discount when customers pay in cash. a discount of 20% from the original price Verb The vacation plan included a discounted price on our hotel room. Car dealers are heavily discounting last year's unsold models.
- 1 - Mindset is key. You need the right mindset. ...
- 2 - If you do not ask, you will not get. Negotiating a discount requires nothing more than asking. ...
- 3 - Use the what, who, and how method. The what. ...
- 4 - Voice tonality. ...
- 5 - If they say no to your request, do not give up. ...
- 6 - Always remember.
How do you say no politely without saying no?
- Sadly, I have something else going on.
- I have another commitment.
- I wish I were able to.
- I'm afraid I can't.
- I don't have the bandwidth for that right now.
- I'm honored you asked me, but I simply can't.
- Thank them before responding.
- Lead with empathy.
- Be transparent about why you can't fulfill their request.
- Provide alternative options.
- Follow up about any referrals.
- Ask for feedback.
- Share helpful content with the customer.
- Stay connected with them.
- Return the message in the format it was received. ...
- Give the prospective client an answer as soon as possible. ...
- Thank the prospective client. ...
- Give a reason, but don't go into detail. ...
- Consider suggesting an alternative. ...
- Keep your responses professional.
The Rule of 100 says that under 100, percentage discounts seem larger than absolute ones. But over 100, things reverse. Over 100, absolute discounts seem larger than percentage ones.
20% off has a nice ring to it. Customers can work out how much they are saving in real terms. It's a good discount without being incredibly generous. To a certain extent, the same is true of the slightly less popular 33% category.
Wandering Customers
They have no specific need or desire in mind and are attracted by the location of the business more than anything else. These customers enjoy the social interaction of the shopping experience.
- AFFORDABLE (meaning: not expensive)
- COMPETITIVE (meaning: not expensive to make, buy, or use)
- ECONOMICAL (meaning: cheap because you do not need to use a lot of money)
There are many benefits and advantages of discount pricing strategies. For instance, discount strategies can reduce excess product, improve cash flow, drive volume, and increase customer loyalty.
Yes! Sweethearting is a crime, and it makes up the highest percentage of theft in the US. Small discounts and avoiding ringing up certain items add up to a massive amount of money over time. You should completely avoid sweethearting, as it's punishable by law and will certainly at least get you fired.
I loved working at Free People in my town for many reasons I believe one of the best benefits of working there is you can get a 40% discount at all URBN stores such as Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, and other stores incorporated with them.
Are you allowed to say why an employee was fired?
Federal law doesn't prohibit employers from sharing the reasons for terminating an employee.
Legally, in most states, companies are allowed to reveal why an employee left, even if that means telling a client they were terminated for cause.
The main signs you're about to get fired
Your boss wants to meet you one-on-one suspiciously often. You feel your boss has become strangely distant. Your coworkers seem to avoid you. They stopped inviting you to important meetings.
Discount Rules define value-based rebates, or discounts, on the product (SKU) or total order level. They can be defined in percentages or absolute values (net price). If a discount rule points to a product, it only applies to that product. A discount rule with an empty product field is applied to the total order.
No price shall be advertised as a former price of any advertised thing, unless the alleged former price was the prevailing market price as above defined within three months next immediately preceding the publication of the advertisement or unless the date when the alleged former price did prevail is clearly, exactly ...
- Referral payouts. ...
- Cart abandonment voucher. ...
- Leaked coupon codes. ...
- Affiliate frauds. ...
- Reselling own inventory. ...
- Fake orders. ...
- Apology voucher abuse.
A counteroffer may give hope of better working conditions and salary, but statistics show that this is often not the case. Around 50% of people who accept counteroffers leave for a new job within 12 months. Just because the offer may seem like a good option, it won't guarantee job satisfaction down the line.
Employee discount programs provide another option for businesses (many of which are also prioritizing financial wellness) because they cost much less and still offer nearly unlimited financial benefit to those who take advantage.
Reporting employee discounts as taxable income
Again, employee discounts are taxable if they exceed the IRS limits. Discount amounts in excess of the IRS limits are subject to income, Social Security, Medicare, and FUTA taxes.
In the retail industry, sweethearting is a form of theft by employees at the cash register, where they give away merchandise to a "sweetheart" customer (such as a friend, family member or fellow employee).
What is the sweethearting policy?
Sweethearting is a form of internal theft in which an employee gives free or discounted merchandise to a friend, family member or fellow employee. They can accomplish this in many ways: Not scanning a product. Changing the price of a product.
“Sweethearting”
The most common type of employee theft, Sweethearting is the term used when an employee gives away or discounts merchandise to a friend, family member, or fellow employee. Cashiers can accomplish this through scan avoidance, price overrides, refund or gift card fraud, void fraud, or invoicing scams.
- Say thank you and let them know that you appreciate their consideration.
- Acknowledge the time the organization invested in reviewing your application and in including you in the interviewing and hiring process.
- Briefly explain why you decided not to accept the job offer.
By threatening to quit as leverage, you're putting your employers back against the wall and forcing them to make a decision. That provides significant downside risk for you if they don't give you want you want in that they may decide they didn't the way you approached the situation and could choose to let you go.
Most hiring managers are willing to negotiate, so it's almost always a good idea to counteroffer. Even if they're unable to budge on salary, you might gain additional time off, a flexible schedule, or other perks.