Originally Posted by
jason0617
I bet when you go buy a new car, you refuse to accept the free oil change they give you with a purchase, and insist on paying for that first tank of gas, right? I know I do. When I bought my first house, I didn't make an offer, I accepted the inflated price, because dangit, these people were selling their house, and they needed to be able to furnish their new one. I see nothing wrong with asking for a deal on a bike, or anything that you're paying over $1,000 for.
When I bought my car, I asked for, and received a discount of over $4,000. It took an hour of negotiating. When I bought my first house, I asked for, and received nearly $20,000 off... It took an offer, and a counter offer. When I bought both my MTB's, I asked for discounts, and I'll do the same when I buy my road bike.
Refusing a free oil change would be the equivalent of refusing a free check up that comes with most bike purchases. I have no problem with that. As far as putting gas in it... if it comes with gas it comes with gas. It's kind of like a bike shop putting air in the tires... thats getting it ready to leave the lot. I have no problem with that.
A bike shop has employees to pay. They sell the bikes, work the floor, some don't make commission like those on a car lot. Bike shop employees build the bikes when they come in, unlike on a car lot. House prices are subjective. The neighborhood, school districts, type of house, size of house, floor plans, energy efficiency all come into play. Market circumstances can also make house values swing wildly from on month/year to another. It's just not a comparable market whatsoever.
Having worked for both an auto manufacturer and a bicycle shop I can also tell you that there's a lot more markup on a car than on a bicycle.
Either way, I have no problem with people wanting a deal from the bike shop. Everyone WANTS a deal. What I have a problem with is people feeling entitled to a deal. Some people seem to believe that the shop OWES them a deal and that if they don't give them a deal then they are somehow mistreating them.