What Works For Me? Getting a beautiful Pottery Barn coffee table for 40% off retail. How did I do it? By politely asking some pointed questions, with a smile. And, maybe it didn’t hurt that I had all three kids with me, only two of whom were trapped in a stroller. It also so happened that they messed up (big time) when my husband went to pick it up. This magic combination added up to savings of over $125.
Here’s what happened. I have had my eye on this beauty for a while:
Pottery Barn Hyde Coffee Table
We desperately needed a new coffee table. We had a hand-me-down for years from my parents. It got so much use and abuse that the veneer top was cracking. It was seriously becoming a safety issue, never mind the fact that it just looked horrendous. So, we finally got rid of that one and got another hand-me-down coffee table from relatives. While it does the job, it’s not particularly pretty, and the legs are coming off. Fabulous! Sooooo, we (I) decided it was high time, after 14 years of wedded bliss to fork out some dough, grow up, and get a new coffee table.
I visited my coffee table at my local Pottery Barn a few weeks ago. They had one of them in the store, but it was “out of the box”. I was told they didn’t sell floor models, but could order me a new one, and it would arrive in a few days. I left the store without my beloved table that day.
Yesterday, I called the store to see if they had one in stock, before I came down (with all three kids in tow). I spoke with a lovely lady who gave me the same information I was given before. Hmmm, couldn’t hurt to ask again, right? So I asked her, “And, do you offer any discounts on items that are opened and out of the box?”. She delightfully responded that “Oh, yes! Let me take a look at it, but if there are any scratches, etc. I could offer you a discount of up to 20%.” Whoa, what, now??!! I was positively giddy. At this point, I got my oldest son presentable, and drummed my fingernails on the counter waiting for the two little ones to wake up from their nap. I mean, how long do you need to sleep, geez. I have business to attend to. Seriously.
Once everyone was up, we headed out. They had the table, and followed through on giving me the 20% I was promised (Full disclosure: there were a few very small scratches, but I can totally live with them). At the register, I pulled out a 10% off coupon, which was expired. I don’t shop at Pottery Barn too often (I wish this was not the case). So, I hadn’t used the coupon, but I thought it might be worth at least asking the question. Whaddaya know? They honored it. I felt like skipping out of the store, or doing a groovy dance like a football player in the end zone at the Superbowl. You get the picture.
So, my husband got home and I sent him down to the store with my claim check to pick up this beauty. They sent him home with the wrong table. Not the rustic pine I had ordered, but some other finish. Beautiful in its own right, but not for my family room. So, I sent him back. At this point, it was 8:45pm. The store closes at 9pm. I called, and they confirmed, “Oh, yes, send him down. We’ll fix it.” So, he made his second trip.
He came home with the same table. Okay, now I was getting irritated. It’s after 9pm, and they have told him that yes, this is the table you ordered. It was most definitely NOT. So, at 9:09pm, I called the store again. To my delight, they actually answered the phone. I was speaking with the wonderful sales lady who had helped me earlier in the day. She apologized profusely and said we were in fact given the wrong table. Um, thank you! And, duh. She said, “Would your husband come down again? How mad is he going to be?” He graciously agreed to go back to Pottery Barn, for a third time in 30 minutes. Can you tell we don’t live too far? And that he’s the bomb?
This is when the sales lady dropped this little nugget: “Call me tomorrow, and I am going to give you another discount because of all this trouble.”. Okay, so now I am officially in love with this lady. I want to buy her flowers, and show up at Pottery Barn with a fresh-for-fall Pumpkin Spice latte from Starbucks. And maybe a high-five.
The moral of this story: you get more bees with honey than with vinegar. Or, do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Or, what goes around comes around. However you want to look at it, the bottom line is this: ask nicely, don’t be rude or grumpy, and you never know, you might just get lucky! And, I love my new coffee table, and my husband. The end.
grumpysleepyandbashful 