Billy Preston says it all. As an employee of the hardware store, I get 20% off most of my purchases from them. So, this morning before work when I tried to buy an $80 power tool, I was surprised to learn that I get no discount on most power tools. Supposedly, the margin is too low on them. This pissed me off because it is bullcrap. I actually checked and found that the store pays $62 to get the item on the shelf, so that means that there is an $18 profit on it, about 30%. Even if they gave me 20% off, they would still make $2 on the deal. They can't stay in business making a 3% gross margin on every sale, but sales to the employees are gravy to them. What difference does it make if you are only making 3% on employee purchases? Since I didn't have to be at work until noon, I went to a nearby Lowes to see what the tool cost there. It was $64. I'm sure that Lowes pays less to the manufacturer than my store, but still, that's a big difference. Later, when I got to work, I asked the boss about the deal. She gave me the low margin story, too, until she looked it up. In the end, she offered to give me the 20% off, but knowing what the store pays, I made a deal for 10% off. That struck me as fair. I don't mind paying a bit extra to support my employer, but I resent being stiffed. This is what I don't get and why the Billy Preston song sprang into my head. If you have an item and can sell it for more than you paid, you've made money on the deal. But if you are stuck on making a particular margin, to the point of letting sales walk away, you have made nothing. Noting from nothing, leaves nothing. Things in this blog represented to be fact, may or may not actually be true. The writer is frequently wrong, sometimes just full of it, but always judgmental and cranky