Who has the power? You do.

Who has the power?

This is something people forget but if you are the one providing the money, or the services, then you also have the power in any negotiation.

Let me explain:

You go to a store, you see a pair of black leggings for $40.

You find the price pretty damn steep, but instead of saying “Forget it, I’ll just keep my money and they can keep their leggings”, people throw their hands up in resignation and say: “Whaddya gonna do? I want them.”

And then buy the leggings at $40, instead of trying to see if they can score them on sale, or in another store for much cheaper.

(By the way, I had purchased mine for $9.90 on sale, as a markdown in Dynamite)

But remember, YOU are the one with the money.

THEY are the ones providing the service, or the products. You can choose to decide whether they sell or not, because you’re the consumer.

You have the choice to go somewhere else to buy them.

And if you keep in mind that you have the power, be it in skills or with money as a consumer, you can make choices that determine how the retail industry reacts.

As a consumer, I want stores to work for my money. I expect a certain level of service, friendliness and ease of use.

If I don’t get it, I walk out. It’s as simple as that.

My mentality is that I’ve lived so far without that purse, blush, pair of shoes, laptop [insert whatever item here], and I’ll continue to keep living, even if I don’t end up buying what I wanted.

I’ve put down lots of products, stopped shopping at stores and basically pulled my buying power out without having to say anything to show them that I don’t deal with stores like that.

Even more telling, look at this slow sweeping wave of eco-consciousness for example.

Maybe it’s superficial and everyone is just trying to make a buck off this green shift, but everywhere I go, stores are starting to switch to biodegradeable bags, telling us we have to now pay for plastic bags, and overall, trying.

Sure, they could also go a step further and start stocking their stores with true eco-friendly, green products, or to really examine their business practices but one step at a time.

And consumers — we’re the ones that made that shift happen, little by little, by the choices that we make and actions that we take.

(Ooo that rhymed!)