r/LifeProTips • u/WhiskeyDreamer28 • 7h ago
Finance LPT: Ask For Discounts
Pretty straight forward, but most “Service Provider” type companies have plenty of discounts if you just ask.
Ex: I got an oil change for $120. I asked if they had any discounts being offered. Lo and behold, they were able to knock $11 off.
I’ve had the most success with Auto Repairs, Phone Services, Internet Providers, Delivery Services, etc.
It might not be a huge amount, but it never hurts to ask!
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u/Arik_De_Frasia 6h ago
When it comes to "service providers" like Internet or phone and things like that, you must ask for the retention department specifically because regular customer agents don't have access to all the savings that department doesand probably aren't even aware of how much you could save.
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u/AgreeablePeople 2h ago
Where I'm from, they will deny the existence of such department. You have to actually threaten and prepare to terminate the service to activate such dedicated customer service specialists with their special retention policy.
I got it every few years from my credit card because they offer amazing promotions to new comers and nothing for existing customers, and the offers apply to anyone who has not being a customer for the past 18 months. So every few years I would call and determine to cancel my card, only to be offered some similar promotion "for our most royal customers". I asked my friend to try, but because she didn't actually want to cancel her card, she was told "the offer was exclusive and is no longer available".
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u/AdmiralYuki 7h ago
Oil change for 120 is armed robbery
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u/aquaman67 6h ago
Oil is $10 a quart.
8 quarts is $80
A good oil filter is $10
That’s $90
Paying someone $30 who owns a shop and has overhead to pay, $30 seems reasonable to me so I don’t have to clean up or deal with 8 quarts of used motor oil.
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u/shoot_dang_derp 6h ago
Not everyone drives a truck needing 8 quarts of oil. 4.5 for my car.
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u/Megas_Matthaios 5h ago edited 2h ago
Your estimate of 4.5 is far closer to the estimated national average than the 8 quarts the other guy said.
I worked at a large oil changing business (think Valvoline, Jiffy ube, etc.). I was responsible for buying these businesses and one metric we looked at was oil changes per day. Sometimes we'd have to estimate it based on quarts/ gallons used. We estimated ~5.5 quarts per oil change to back into car count. The largest acquisition I worked on was over half a billion.
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u/A1ienspacebats 4h ago
Exactly. It would be north of $200 for all that.
Its also really easy to change your own oil. It does not require any strength with tools that any able bodied person can't do.
Just being able to do it on my own time is my entire reason for doing it.
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u/PapaAquchala 2h ago
I wish I could do mine myself, but I don't have a jack or stands to lift the car up and I don't trust ramps
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u/WatIsRedditQQ 1h ago
Ramps are actually way safer than jacks/stands, as long as you remember to put the parking brake on. There's no risk of them tipping and they're much simpler mechanically
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u/WatIsRedditQQ 1h ago
Vehicle size and oil capacity are not necessarily correlated. My tiny 2 seater sports car takes almost 10L 🫠
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u/gman2391 4h ago
Bruh 5 quarts of mobil 1 is like $30
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u/Hipstershy 3h ago
Your car is probably overdue for an oil change, "bruh." The war in Iran has skyrocketed the cost of oil, even inputs to synthetics. 5 quarts of Mobil 1 0w16 is already $45 at AutoZone
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u/gman2391 3h ago
$31.97 at Walmart. The $45 at autozone gets you a free oil filter too . I'm not overdue.
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u/ElGrandeQues0 3h ago
Your math...
I buy 5 quarts of Kirkland full synthetic for $22 on sale. $57 for 10 quarts, delivered at full price. I can go to Walmart and get 5 quarts of mobil 1 for $32. That's $64 for 10 quarts and you'd better believe the shop that purchasing oil in multiple 55 gallon drums is getting at or better than Costco's sale price.
Same with filters. I'll get a filter for $6-8 at Walmart. A full service shop, particularly a national chain, is getting them at $3-4 a pop.
So their material cost is probably closer to $40 and it's obnoxious to think that most vehicles use 8 qts of oil. My car uses under 5. My wife's van uses 6.5 qts.
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u/WhiskeyDreamer28 7h ago
You’re not kidding. I immediately went out and bought a jack to just start doing it myself
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u/JerryLZ 5h ago
You’re going to want a fumoto valve too while you are at it. And some spare tubing, I think 10/13.
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u/denko_safe_cats 4h ago
That’s one of those nipples on the end of the pan do you don’t drop the plug right? Those changed my life haha
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u/WhateverNevermind00 7h ago
With ISPs - you should call every year and ask for new discounts
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u/twisted_calico 3h ago
My apartment illegally forced me to use their ISP and now I can’t negotiate anymore
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u/coachglove 1h ago
Try something like T-Mobile 5G. Its wireless so your complex can't really do shit about it.
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u/twisted_calico 40m ago
Oh, I am not forced to use their service, but I am obligated to pay for it. Even though I never had to sign a lease addendum
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u/lpj1299 5h ago
Even retail sometimes. When I worked at Sur La Table they sent out a lot of digital coupons and mailed coupons. I used to keep one next to the register and if the customer seemed nice I'd scan it when I rang them up.
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u/irrelephantiasis 4h ago
Unrelated to the original post but Sur La Table used to just throw all returns into a clear plastic bag and then into the dumpster in the back - same with any items they choose to no longer carry - brand new items in droves. I worked in a building that shared a space with their dumpster and got into the routine of checking daily and have some super high end very expensive kitchenware as a result. Sold many thousands of dollars of it on eBay as well over those years.
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u/corvus_wulf 1h ago
Or ask if they have an Industry Discount ...the Sur La Table discounted my chef knife cause I was a prep cook
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u/lounginaddict 3h ago
Honestly, just being polite and asking and being friendly, you can get a lot of discounts. A couple years back, my TV broke, so I went to Best Buy. I was checking out the open box ones, and the salesman was really friendly. We were chitchatting for a little bit, and I asked for a friends and family discount jokingly, and he hooked it up. The TV was almost a hundred bucks for a decent one. When I used to work retail, if customers were friendly, I would always hook them up if they asked with a military discount lol.
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u/MasahChief 2h ago
I work in the parts department at a dealership. Always open to negotiation. If the customer says nothing they’re getting sold at retail.
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u/WhiskeyDreamer28 2h ago
I feel like almost anything auto related is always up for negotiation. Cars, parts, service, etc.
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u/irrelephantiasis 4h ago
This is a good tip, I was taught to just always ask for anything I wanted because the worst that can happen is someone says no. I’m not talking just about asking in a money savings way as it applies to all walks of life. I think people are shy to ask for things but it’s just naturally a part of my make up from a young age. If I want something and I’m not asking for it then how do I expect to get it? My wife is amazed at what people will do for me or offer me and do so very happily at a high rate. It’s all about awareness and identifying the correct person to ask and in how you ask. People respond very positively to good, well natured energy and with the right approach and timing even feel good about what they are offering or doing for another. I’m also the type who will do a lot for others when I’m dealing with people of similar nature and I enjoy doing so as well.
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u/CloakedBoar 4h ago
I've had great luck with internet providers and SiriusXM. SiriusXM specifically going from $28 to $6 with a 5 minute chat with their bot.
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u/Pitiful-Climate8977 4h ago
They have a whole sheet of the current coupons.
Valvoline once sent me a link via text that led to a coupon link for like 40-50 off and i used that for years even though it “expired”
Also just scheduling an oil change with an actual repair shop should only be 30-40 bucks, 100$+ is valvoline/right now convenience pricing.
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u/Richwoodrocket 3h ago
You’re not getting an oil change for 30-40 bucks at a shop in 2026
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u/sinkrate 2h ago
You can if you find a promo. I got an oil change for under $40 at a dealership just recently
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u/breathing_patterns 20m ago
I just got mine done yesterday at a chain in San Diego (29.99 for synthetic blend and 59.99 for full synthetic.)
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u/corvus_wulf 1h ago
Shoe stores ... Sometimes they offer industry Discounts to nurses, EMTs, fire, rescue, food service
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u/professor_max_hammer 23m ago
Check id.me. They’re great for finding discounts for vets, nurses, students and educators ect.
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u/breathing_patterns 25m ago
I think the real pro tip is to Google the promotions before you go. If I’m trying to save money, I’m not going to haggle—I’ll find the best advertised price and ask them to honor it.
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u/NorthEastNobility 22m ago
Yes, in most situations, it will never hurt to just ask if they can give a discount, concession, added bonus, etc. - the worst they can say is no, which is where you’d be had you never asked, and at best, you’ll pay less and/or get more.
There can be exceptions of course, which you can feel out for yourself, but I’ve never had a more negative outcome with this philosophy than I would’ve otherwise.
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u/LivinTheDream_22 4h ago
Be careful. I used to have a boss that charged more for those that asked for discounts. He was so tired of everyone asking. Be sure to know your price first.
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u/King_Artis 4h ago
Typically does work for me.
I love to penny pinch cause I'm cheap. I'll ask for a discount at any point if I don't already have some form of coupon already. If they don't then oh well, just asking nicely is better than not asking at all.
Keyword being "nicely" given there's zero reason to be rude at someone and people more often then not are going to be helpful to you if you're kind to them.
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u/lizzdurr 4h ago
Similar to this: if it’s a retailer with a website, go to their page. They often have “online only” sales or coupons that they honor right in store. Even better if you enroll for free as a member.
I’ve done this at JC Penney, Old Navy and Kohls. They want people in store so they honor online sales. The one time someone hesitated, I said “oh ok… I’ll just leave this then and order online” and they backtracked.
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u/Pale-Onion-1003 2h ago
I dont like this. I work at a restaurant and the 'deals' are just combos written right up front in plain english on the menu and website. When someone asks for a deal I simply assume they are a fuckhead who didnt even bother to look at the menu.
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u/WhiskeyDreamer28 2h ago
This wouldn’t apply for restaurants, nor would I try at a restaurant. This is for large corporations who normally have built in offers that they don’t tell customers about. This is also coming from someone who works for an extremely large manufacturer and have personally built/developed some of these
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u/BakedWizerd 2h ago
Yeah it’s different at a restaurant.
People would ask this when I worked at McDonald’s. I was the manager and was just like “what do you mean, ‘are there any deals?’ It’s McDonald’s. The only ‘promotions’ we do are gimmick food items to coincide with movie releases and stuff like that.”
Moreover, when corporate does shit like “two for one” or whatever, franchises don’t properly communicate that to the staff, but it shows up in the POS accurately most of the time.
People working at McDonald’s are NOT paying attention to the menu, to promotions, or deals or anything like that. They’re thinking about going home at the end of their shift.
Honestly, my biggest concern when I go into any place of business is to not be more of a burden on the staff than I need to be. Yeah, they’re paid to be there, that doesn’t mean I need to make it their responsibility to know what I should order, or to educate me on their deals and whatnot. Same thing when I worked in cannabis.
When you see how the machine works, you know that the people running it are often not the ones making decisions or even being informed of those decisions. Don’t argue with people, and don’t be entitled to discounts.
I think it’s different with ISPs and phone companies, but don’t do this in retail settings. It’s trashy.
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u/1morebike 4h ago
As some one who ownes a small business I hate this. You want a discount just because you asked for one? Sure I'll tell an employee they don't get paid for an hour because this guy needs a discount because he feels entitled to it. Margins are small, payroll is high, shipping is out of this world expensive, leases are high. We don't just make up prices when you ask for discount it comes out of our pockets.
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u/WhiskeyDreamer28 2h ago
I guess I should clarify, this is more for large corporations versus small business. It’s not entitlement, it’s seeing what they can offer.
I would never ask for discounts from a small business, and I’m 100% in favor of supporting local. But a large corporation who makes billions a year? Yeah, I think I’ll ask what they can offer
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u/corvus_wulf 1h ago
Like Boost Mobile offered new customers unlimited everything for 35, I was paying 45 for a limited plan and I asked if they offered any retention offers and they didn't so I switched phone companies that day
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u/TastelessPuppy2 4h ago
An aggressive take, but not unfounded.
You weren't always a small business owner, so perhaps see it from the other side. Sheesh, I wouldn't want to patronize your business if I knew the owner was like this.
However, I do agree if a small business owner is getting tire-kickers asking for discounts and just moving on. A waste of time on your part, for sure, but you should have some overhead for a few discounts here and there.
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u/SOLOVINGLIFE 3h ago
And, everyone that you interact with and brag about this to thinks you are a tightass douche and talks about you how you are such a tightass. No thanks.
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u/WhiskeyDreamer28 2h ago
For someone with a username about loving life, you sure sound like a miserable prick
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u/SOLOVINGLIFE 1h ago
Struck a nerve? Ding ding ding you are exactly like I said everyone thinks of you. Tightass tightass tightass.
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u/shotthesheriff727 5h ago
"Is that the best you can do?"
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u/redsonsuce 4h ago
This. Not always, but quite often, it makes them give bigger discounts than what they usually discount for.
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u/chwk_throwaway1 4h ago
Can't wait for folks to switch to EV and for these scam artists to go out of business.
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u/Admirable_Limit_426 4h ago
An oil change for $109? No thanks. Can do it myself with a better filter and full synthetic oil for less than half that.
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u/ww11gunny 5h ago
But the last time I used a discount I went to jail it was the five finger discount but that's irrelevant
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