Rissa writes in to let us know that you can get a great deal by haggling a little bit with the manager of Lowe’s.

Here’s the story:

People always say when you’re shopping for appliances, go to the clearance first. They may have dented items for cheap prices and you’ll get a great deal. And most people know that they can bargain with non-chain businesses to get the best price. Most don’t know you can bargain with the manager of say, a place like Lowe’s, and get an even greater deal.

My mother and I have been shopping for a small refrigerator all summer long for my college dorm in the fall. I wanted one with a separate freezer door – you know, a freezer that can fit something larger than a water bottle. The cheapest we had been able to find was one on Sears website for $189, with shipping at about the same price, no matter if it got sent to you or to the store. The next best thing was one on the Lowe’s website for $199.

We see the one for $199 in the clearance area with only a few minor scratches on the top of it. The same fridge on the shelf was at least $230. (You see that they must have racked up the price on the shelf in order to not lose money.) So we grabbed the manager and asked her the history of it, and it was simply a display fridge that got scratched and needed to be sold. “But why the $199 still?” She said, “You’re right. I’ll give it to you for $150.”

Sold. 3.1 cu. ft. 2-door refrigerator for $150.

Those are some expensive scratches.

Way to go, Rissa! Don’t be afraid to bargain with chain store employees. The worst thing that can happen is they say, “No!”

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