I've never said he's made thousands before. I've said he will have no problem buying a brand new truck when he turns 17 or 18 though BUT this guy doesn't know that so it shouldn't matter how successful a 9yo is.
Does it say on the Sale rack - 'For sale by 9 yr (or any indication of a younger salesperson)? Or, is your son out selling at the stand? If the stand is along a road, and the price says $5.00 per bundle, and it's near a known firewood dealer, I might ask for a 'deal' on multiple bundles...although no discount would be given at H Depot, TSC, etc.
I have no problem with a guy courteously asking about a discount. Nor do I have a problem with replying that there is a demand and no discounts are offered. What I can't stand is a man who presses the issue because he has to feel victorious as a horse trader. I have dealt with a few where I have told them "the item is no longer for sale to you at any price, please leave". If your customer pressed your son for a discount, I would have stepped in! Your son is a commendable young man. No harm in being exposed to the world and it's ways. He will eventually develop a faculty for judging character in a customer and extend a discount, or not, as it pleases him!
The age of the seller wouldn’t matter to me. He doesn’t have a “Hotwheels For Trade” stand or a “Lemonade” stand that are traditionally run by the younger generation. He’s dabbling in an adult customer market and should be free to make the decisions that he’s faced with. That same guy might come back next time and buy $100 worth because the kid stuck to his guns. He also might look somewhere else where he can get a deal.
I wouldn't have a problem with someone asking about the possibility of a discount for a volume sale, as long as he wasn't jerky about it, or kept pushing the issue after being told no. Now if it were toward the end of the season, you had a good amount left, and the guy was offering to buy you out or something, then...maybe...
There have been a lot of Good points made on both sides here, that I didn’t first consider. was it obvious that it was a 9YO seller? The potential customers attitude would have some sway in how I handled it The Boy’s level of Maturity, which if he is seriously selling firewood at 9, is probably more advanced than the average 9YO. I wasn’t there, and there are too many unknowns, for me to give a definite answer, but it sounds like a Polite, sorry, we are just keeping up with demand, would have been a good reply Doug
I’m sure people have asked in the past and Will in the future. Lots of people love to negotiate, but I think most hate it. Case in point, more and more car dealers are no hassle no haggle. He would have received a volume discount if he bought a cord right?
I guess in a firewood scenario, I don't get a "volume discount"...unless you were delivering it, and it was gonna be a full load instead of half...it makes a little sense then...otherwise, its still the same amount of hard work, so if you are not hurting for sales, what's the point? To me, a volume discount is given because somehow the larger sale somehow saves you time, or money (like less packaging for example)
A BMW SUV is a symbol of wealth, but shouldn’t be. The multi-millionaire drives one paid off and so does the 19 year old kid who is leasing it with his parents co-signature. He also still lives in their basement. right! This is passive sales. Makes no difference if one person buys all the stacks or 10 people buy 1 stack each. No less labor/cost for the supplier.
No, the customer would have no way of knowing how much the Son has made, and it shouldn’t make any difference. But, you may not have said that he has “Made Thousands”, saying that he would be able to buy a New Truck by the time he is 17 or 18, sure Implies it. Just for giggles, I googled the price of a New Nissan 2 wheel drive truck. The Nissan Frontier came up, it is only available in King and Crew-cabs evidently, the BASE PRICE was $26,790, so even 10 years of sales, and a Cash Price, would still suggest sales of $2,000-2,500 a year, not accounting for 10 years of inflation I’m not trying to be argumentative, but that is how I would read that statement Doug
Unless the time he spent making the next 25-30 sales could’ve been spent processing more firewood. It’s good to be able to make these choices based on supply and demand
I think this is a "self serve" setup though...? If so, about the only time savings I can think of would be in not having to "rack up" that extra quantity? (not much time IMO)
Your son should put a big sign up front that reads "Price is firm on all firewood bundles" Then neither him nor you will have to deal with the nonsense. Out of curiosity how often does this happen with the dickering? I bet not very often. I still cant believe people dicker prices on stuff like this. Do you dicker at the local restaurant when the bill comes, or at the department store, or at Home Depot? If you don't want the item at its listed price go elsewhere or go without.
Reminds me of a guy that went to yard sales with another couple. He found an item for 10 cents picked it up and then asked the seller if they would take 5 cents! C'mon man! Same guy is notorious for being a tightwad. The couple that he was with said they had never been so embarrassed! I would have fished out a nickel from my pocket and given it to him.
As for pulling up in a BMW SUV and looking to get a deal... I used to work part time as a driver for Pizza Hut when I was 19. My main ride back then was a mid 1980s Dodge Aries K 4 door sedan that had the aesthetics of a dumpster rolling down the road. When I pulled up, people must've felt bad for me and tipped me well. Towards the end of my tenure there I got a brand new Chevy Cavalier and I instantly saw my tips dry up. Irony is I needed the tip money more since getting a new car and full insurance coverage. I was always polite and respectful to the customer. Was I entitled to a tip in the first place though? Nope. At no point did anyone owe me anything regardless of what I pulled up to their house in. Expect nothing, and anything you do get is a bonus was what I was taught. Good for you jrider for holding your ground. It's your son's/your business and therefore on your terms. If the customer thinks he can get a better deal elsewhere, he's entitled to shop around. At the same time I can't fault the customer for asking though. Maybe his financial situation is in peril, maybe he's just a tightwad. We'll never know and it's really not our business to know either.
Just a few years back, I offered firewood bundles for sale using the honor system. I charged a whopping $2.50 a bundle (large bundle) and people still stiffed me! Seems to me I remember seeing a BMW suv pulling away once or twice!
I used to go out for a coffee with a group of guys I worked with once a week. There was 5 or 6 of us, and we'd all contribute to the tab including tip. The guy who made the most money out of any of us, was also the cheapest. He'd get a coffee and a muffin that totaled like $3.55 and he'd leave 3 dollars every time. Always ordered the same thing. One time my good friend who has since retired and moved to Myrtle Beach area yells out and says to the guy in front of not only us, but also the waitress and several other customers "Hey Phil, why don't you cover your tab for once and leave a tip!" We were all dying laughing. Of course cheapskate was humiliated. When I go see him, we still laugh about that day.
I’ve gotten the word out on Facebook- local town pages- and that’s where he found out. In the posts I make, I explain he’s 9.
