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Different From My Household

December 1, 2011, 2:57 pm

In our house, I am the milquetoast that accepts offers as presented and my wife is the one who challenges and negotiates.  But apparently that's not typical.

Category: General Business

6 Comments

  1. Benjamin Cole:

    I am in the woodworking-cabinet business. In my experience, it is women who are always tougher customers. I assume that is because they "control" household outlays, and also have little appreciation for what they consider "manual labor" and "manual laborers."

    Guys seem to have an attitude of "you gotta leave something on the table for the other guy."

    December 1, 2011, 8:56 pm

  2. Mark:

    I don't believe a word of it. Women out of college earn more on average in equivalent careers than men, and it has been this way for at least a decade.

    And personally I have had little success in negotiating higher salaries as a male. I get - no. Maybe it is just my field, or my desperation.

    December 1, 2011, 11:10 pm

  3. Joe:

    In my house, my wife is the negotiator as well. I have never gotten a bump when asking for it at the start of a position, while she did just a few months ago.

    December 2, 2011, 7:16 am

  4. IGotBupkis, Official Lefty Accounting Magician:

    It's Kevin Drum, and it's crap anyway, but you know that.

    Mark: Someone in the comments section of the linked piece suggested this:
    Negotiating Your Salary 6th Ed (Negotiating Your Salary: How to Make $1000 a Minute)

    ;-)

    December 4, 2011, 12:24 am

  5. Margaret:

    Job security= always be worth more than you are paid.

    December 4, 2011, 2:24 pm

  6. Richo:

    My wife does all the negotiating in our purchasing. We’ll normally pick something together – that part is jointly done - but she handles the salesperson. I than take the kids and go for a walk; I don’t like being around when she bargains, and she doesn’t like me being around (it cramps her style).

    My wife is extremely attractive, and as tough as nails when it comes to negotiating a price. It’s a brutal combination that most male sales people find difficult to withstand. Even a surprising amount of sales women.

    I just decide things on the display price: its either acceptable or it is not. Like many men, I tend to weigh time as a factor – I’d rather be somewhere else, so I don’t care if it isn’t the lowest price, as long as it is acceptable. For my wife, and I think many other women, shopping is enjoyable in itself, and the ability to negotiate down the price is important, and a big part of the enjoyment process.

    December 5, 2011, 10:55 pm