Some chains probably do not have empowered employees who can make that decision.

With a small size company some of the pita cards like amex can cost a percentage point or two but hey, forty bucks off two grand is a decent night at the bar.

Far as negotiating, tell the store you like them. Show them a price from a conoarable service store in the same geographic area. Ask them to match it, then ask for that other percentage point off for cash. If they deny pay amex lol.

I have a preference for customer pick up sales and bend a little more for those. Maybe just me.

I have a number of retail furniture customers. Ever since "the great recession," business is down and consumers are smelling the blood. Potential purchasers are always trying to get a deal on one thing or another. Margins are already squeezed because volume of durable goods is down.

Without profit, business cannot exist. What if you need that business a few years from now?

Sadly, about half the retail customers I had five years ago are out of business. Another has shrunk from four stores to one, and has gone from dozens of employees to about six.

Maybe it's just me.

Most of the larger chain stores price their furniture & there is no negotiating. Since the chain stores purchase enough to supply all locations they often times buy containers which is at a lower cost to them but they still mark up to manufacturer suggested retail price. They must do this to survive as the overhead is quite high.

I had tried with Rooms to Go. They advertise no interest or payments for something like 1-2 years so I offered cash-they wouldn't budge.

I'm also thinking about splurging on an item from one of those high end Scandinavian stores and will try it also. Worse thing they can do is say no.

As far negotiating my thought is, there is no harm in trying.

With one of the larger chains I recently purchased two accent chairs, and special ordered two ottomans. For the chairs they wouldn't negotiate, but they took off 75 on the ottomans.