Because each human and each situation is unique.
No, I don’t mean price haggling.
There is a TikTok video I watched recently where a hairdresser exclaims, “I charge this much because it takes me tons of hours.” I respect everyone’s right to charge what they think they are worth as long as the pricing is fair and they respect the customer to not try to rip them off. This article is not about lowering the price of goods or services. This is a valid form of negotiation but not the main focus of the article.
Moving out of my apartment in Chicago — Me = Unhappy.
April 2021, I moved from Chicago to Boston for a new job. I moving out 2.5 months before my 2nd lease with the same apartment complex ended. I had to pay all the penalties for breaking the lease. No discussion. I was an easy tenet. In the two years, I lived there, I was never late on rent, I made one maintenance call in two years. I was a tenet they never heard from but were guaranteed to get their money from.
I know they did not have to, but their lack of interest in making my move out a little less painful left a bad taste in my mouth.
I didn’t even bother trying to get my deposit back. The Apartment Manager did chase me down and get my new address and I got all my deposit back after moving out, so they were not trying to cheat me or anything. They just were not open to any kind of negotiation beyond the contract. Fair, but I left with zero warm feelings about the place. If I moved back to Oak Park IL, I would not consider living there again.
Auto Body Squad— Me = Happy
They were not the most official-looking, not the most trustworthy, but I knew I would go with them after my first conversation. From the moment I got there, I could just feel that everyone wanted to help and make my situation better. We discussed all the options I had to get my car fixed before I chose what I wanted to do. This was my first time going to a body shop so I don’t know what standard practice is but this place walked me through all the steps of filing the insurance claim. When I finally dropped off my car they organized a ride for me to pick up my rental car. When I picked up my car they had fully detailed my car, this was extra.
I felt like I had built a rapport with this team and I felt heard and seen.
The owner told me that he was grateful to still be in business since a lot of body shops in the area closed during the pandemic. I can certainly see why they stayed in business.
Max’s Oyster Bar — Me = Happy
If I am in Hartford, I am stopping there and I am recommending it to anyone I know who visits Hartford. Not only was the food delicious but our waitress accommodated all my requests with no pushing on my part.
I wanted oysters, clam chowder and a lobster roll. The lobster roll came as a meal, with fries and coleslaw. The waitress got permission to make the clam chowder my side. My second request was adding vanilla ice cream to my order of chocolate beignets.
I was 100% fine if the concessions were not made and I got the stuff as per the menu but she went above my expectations and asked for changes on my behalf not because I had explicitly said this is what I wanted her to do but because she wanted to best meet my desires. I make 90% of all the food I eat. Eating out for me is a hobby, I pick exciting places where I can try lots of different things I would not make at home. I almost always know exactly what I want to eat so I appreciate it more and enjoy it better if I can negotiate the menu a little.
Tacos — Me = Unhappy
I went to a Mexican restaurant I had heard a lot of good things about. I always feel like the tacos tell me if a Mexican restaurant is legit or not so it is what I usually order when I go to a Mexican restaurant for the first time. However, any Mexican restaurant that forces me to order multiples of the same taco has failed in my eyes. I just don’t like eating a lot of the same thing. I like to get a fish taco, a shrimp taco, an al pastor taco, a carne asada taco. It has to be those four or three of those four. What I ended up ordering was delicious (steak+chimichurri+rice) but I left still wishing I had got to try the tacos.
We all don’t value the same things so I understand if this comes across as over the top or non-consequential to someone else but for me having some wiggle room is important. Personalizing my interactions, creating win-win scenarios in the big and small areas of life makes my heart glad, my mood cheery and, increases my excitement about life.