Unable To Craft A Sale

(A customer is looking at a pair of hand-carved wooden maps of the city and one of the outlying neighborhoods. They are priced at around $300 each. We do have a small number of vintage and hand-crafted items in the store which we are allowed to be a bit lenient with and are marked with a “VINTAGE” or “CRAFT ITEM” tag, but most of the new and mass-produced items are a fixed price like any other store.)

Customer: “Hi. I’ll give you $300 for the two of them.”

Me: “I’m sorry, sir, but those are newly-made, fixed-price items. They are $300 apiece.”

Customer: “So, cut me a deal; I am going to buy both.”

Me: “While I appreciate your business, I am unable to reduce the price on those items. They are fixed.”

Customer: “You can’t do any better? How about $400 for the two?”

Me: “Those items are $300 each and will not be reduced. Did you want to pay full price, or perhaps get just one right now?”

Customer: “You really won’t cut me a deal? At all?”

Me: “Sir, I am unable to do that. I don’t have the authority, nor do I have the inclination, as those pieces are extremely expensive for us, as well, and we are selling them at well below our usual mark-up knowing they are popular and because we enjoy working with that vendor. They sell extremely well at the prices they’re at, and I expect these will be sold by the end of the week at full price. There is no deal to be had. I’m sorry I cannot help you out with that specifically, but you are welcome to purchase one at full price and perhaps come back for the other next time we have them in stock or your budget allows.”

Customer: *glares at me silently for a good thirty seconds* “FINE. I’ll think about I guess.”

Me: “Okay, thanks so much for stopping by!”