I can finally see through my windshield! And no, I didn't get a smashing job offer or win the lottery. Simply, decided to cease putting my fellow San Diegans at risk because of reduced visibility. Isn't she a sweetheart?As soon as I pulled up to the carwash lane, a man approached me with a page of coupons and pointed to a few different types of packages. "We have some specials. This is $5 off. This is $5 off. This is $10 off." Not bad. An entrepreneurial type of place.
As it turned out, the packages with $5 off were more along the lines of what I wanted -- full inside and outside wash, with either wax or carpet steaming -- but they were, of course, pricier. The rest of the packages weren't on sale, and offered the basics for much cheaper. I decided to try my luck. He seemed open to negotiating.
"Could I have $10 off, on this one?" I asked, pointing to the package with carpet cleaning.
He set me straight in a jiffy. "No! This is $10 off, this is $5."
"Ok, then I'll go for your basic hand wash and interior detail."
There was no coupon involved, no money saved. But if I wasn't getting what I most wanted -- a car wash and carpet steam at a good price -- then I certainly wouldn't pay extra for things I didn't really need (waxing, spiffy wheel dressing, etc) just to get a discount. Make sense?
Gained: Rien de rien.
