Stolen from ML (sort of)- Family discounts

[Deleted]

Do you get any freebies or discounts from family or friends businesses? (The ML post had more to it but it made me curious)


We get $8 smog checks because my uncle is the manager over smogs at a repair shop.

We go to church with a guy that sells tile & granite and can get us 10% off and another guy that works in the service department at the Honda dealership doesn't charge us for a lot of things.   My car is a Honda Odyssey and we got the rotor ground and the motor for the power lift gate replace for free.  That was at least $500 saved.

My family used to own a pizza restaurant so we always got free pizza.  Sadly, they sold it three years ago when my grandpa passed away.  My DH still gets sad from time to time.

DH's company doesn't give us anything for free but the company has agreements with other companies for discounts such as money off on our cell phones and gym memberships.

[MixedBerryJam]

My financial planner is a cousin, and he has never charged me a penny. It's been so long now I'm embarrassed to ask him about it. All I can figure is he doesn't actually spend any time on my investments because I'm so risk averse.

[v]

The best I ever had was Tiffany's (25-50% off everything, plus trips to the company store where things were enliven cheaper) and William-Sonoma/Pottery Barn (40% off everything). I wish I wasn't a poor student for most of that era. And there was a good two years or so where I could get anything Lanvin at cost, but I never took advantage because I am an idiot.

So I am stuck with company discounts from the consumer products company my dad works for and frequent discounts from the transportation startup my friend works for.

We have a company discount on our cell phone and a building resident discount for our gym.

[Deleted]

My mom works for an optometrist, so after my insurance is exhausted, I get frames/lenses at cost.
My dad does auto body repair and is a decent mechanic so he does any minor repairs if we can wait on them until a weekend. The same goes for home repairs.
FIL owns an assisted living facility so that is one HUGE expense neither he/MIL or my parents will have to pay in old age.
The best though was when my cousin worked in HR at the Haagen Dazs plant and would bring home tons of ice cream, especially new flavors they were making. Then they were bought by Pillsbury, so it was cake mix and ice cream. She eventually worked for Eskimo Pie as well.

[preppy]

I get free Citizens of Humanity jeans thanks to my BIL. Not a shabby deal;)

[kaylie]

H's aunt is an accountant and does our taxes for free (and usually gets us back more than I expect).

MIL is a massage therapist, so I can get a free massage if I'm willing to endure an hour of her hard-selling me on producing grandchildren.

[hbomdiggity]

My dad was a doctor so we always had a stocked medicine cabinet with free samples. My parents also never bought pens or stratch pads.

FIL works with party rentals so the tent , tables, chairs, place setting etc for our wedding were free.

DH works for a sporting goods company. He can get stuff for himself (and family) for free and usually gives his 60% off to friends.

[mainelyfoolish]

I have zero connections; a lot of my and DH's relatives are teachers or government employees. The best I can get is disposable ear plugs that DH is allowed to take home from work.

[lindyanne]

My sister works for a snack food company so I sometimes get test runs or she brings me some snacks that she buys at discount in the company store. My uncle owns a pizza franchise and my dad works for him and is the contact for suppliers so he gets samples - hello 5lbs of fontina. He also had a cool balsamic fig glaze that was yummy so I asked him to get me some (his was like a 10oz jar). Got it a few weekends ago and it was a gallon. Ya, all my friends are getting a jar lol

[h]

We get a lot of discounted (or free to us, though they bill our insurance) medical care from my dad/step-dad's colleagues.

My step-sister and BIL are optometrists and own their own practice. They give us a family discount on glasses and contacts. H and I went to see them a few weeks ago and got exams, a year's worth of contacts, prescription Ray Bans, and new glasses for H for like $400.

Good friends of mine own a day spa and give me a 20% friends and family discount and the occasional free pedicure.

I think that's all I've got.

[pink]

I have friends in the wine industry so get comped tastings and discounts on wine (so dangerously awesome).

Discounts on various software and hardware from my/DH's work and our friends.

[dancingirl21]

My H is in construction management and works with every type of trade - electricians, painters, plumbers, etc. We have had them all at our house doing work for a discounted rate. It's awesome.

[pattieice]

It's official. I need a new family.

[M]

All lot of my aunts/uncles and parents are restaurant owners so we get free Asian food. We order our meats in bulk from my dad for about half the grocery store cost too. My uncle is a jeweler and gets us good deals on jewelry but it's all Asian style so not exactly my style, but the whole sale price on diamonds are nice.

H and I use to work at a jewelry store and could get 30% off anything so we use to hold things that we liked until a big sale. I got each of my bridesmaids a strand of pearls for cheap. Some days I want to get a weekend job at Tiffany's so I can load up on jewelry haha.

We have friends who work for airlines. H has considered doing that on weekends for the benefits. But then we think, if we're working on the weekends then we won't have time to go anywhere to do anything anyways haha.

H's family...doesn't do anything for free for family.

[audry80]

We get mattresses, sheets and pillows at cost thanks to a BIL. My brother and SIL both work for Southwest so we get free standby tickets. Unfortunately, I am too type A to fly standby so we rarely use them. My new job has amazing perks and my family and friends get to take advantage of getting free product from my company.

[orangeblossom]

My aunt is a dentist, and will give a family discount.

My other aunt used to work and Johnson and Johnson and could get stuff from the company store ridiculously cheap. That was awesome.

[Deleted]

SIL is a notary, so....

#ballin

[WinterWine]

H used to work fora company that owned a lot of sporting goods brands do we got crazy good deals on Solomon, Atomic, Arcteryx, etc before he switched jobs we spend like $4k on discounted gear. Not MM and very MM at the same time! We don't get discounts from any other friends or fam though

[Deleted]

Aug 29, 2014 21:22:52 GMT -5 kaylie said:

H's aunt is an accountant and does our taxes for free (and usually gets us back more than I expect).

MIL is a massage therapist, so I can get a free massage if I'm willing to endure an hour of her hard-selling me on producing grandchildren.

This negates all cost savings so I don't think we can call the massage "free".  Besides, the Xanax you would need to take before or after (or both) would cost so you are actually losing money on the deal.

[stellarose]

I get Columbia Sportswear, Sorel, Mountain Hardwear, Prana, Nike, Hurley, and Converse at FF discount. Usually 40-60% off.
My sister works at a car dealership so I can get good deals on cars, but she lives in another state.
My dad used to own a restaurant. Definitely miss the food.
Cousin owns a catering company so we can order meat cheap.
And FF for Garmin products too.
I also want a pt job for Jewelry!

[thejen626]

My DH is a GM at a car dealership, and there's several dealerships in their family, so we buy a new tricked out car every 2 years and we get crazy deals every time. Drive it for a few years then sell it, and get a nice equity check back to us. A lot of our family and friends buy cars from him and get great pricing.

DH's friend owns a pawn shop, so he's our jewelry hookup. It's nice

I used to work at Coach and I'm still friends with several people that work there, so I can get 20% off everything and 65% off certain items. (Although I haven't bought coach anything in about 4 years)

[redwino]

One of my best friends gets a lot of free tickets to pro games, concerts, and shows. I'm frequently her guest. She also used to be a massage therapist so I get free massages.

DH works for a university so we get a lot of school swag for free. Mostly shirts and coffee mugs but we have some random stuff like Christmas ornaments too.

My cousin did my hair for free most of my life. I moved out of state so now I can't go to her anymore.

[rbp]

Our friend gets us into an exit row on Delta flights. That's all I've got. LOL

ETA: Sometimes my H steals gauze pads from the hospital.

[rikki]

I have a friend that works for Hugo Boss. We get 40% off always, but they have times where the discount goes up to 60/70% off. Stacked with sales, my husband has gotten suits and shirts for super cheap.

We get employee/retiree pricing at Ford and Chevy. It's a pretty huge amount off without negotiating. We just used it to buy a Focus for our nanny to use.

[kaylie]

Aug 29, 2014 23:40:26 GMT -5 @forcuatro said:

Aug 29, 2014 21:22:52 GMT -5 kaylie said:

H's aunt is an accountant and does our taxes for free (and usually gets us back more than I expect).

MIL is a massage therapist, so I can get a free massage if I'm willing to endure an hour of her hard-selling me on producing grandchildren.

This negates all cost savings so I don't think we can call the massage "free".  Besides, the Xanax you would need to take before or after (or both) would cost so you are actually losing money on the deal.

Yep. Before she got on this kick it was a sweet deal. Now it makes me so ragey that I actually do go to a local spa and pay when I want one. It's hard to relax when I'm sitting there worried she's trying to stimulate my ovaries or something.

[ddi741]

Years ago I worked for a company that built scenery for Broadway shows. We would get free tix for preview & critic nights. I would always send my grandmothers and older aunts. They got to see so many great shows for free.

Other than that we don't get any family discounts.

[Pom]

Friend A. just retired from a cruise line. We got upgraded, free welcome stuff including champagne, roses, fruit, boat swag, discount on jewelry in the shops on board, free shore excursions and free meal upgrades to premium restaurants on board.
Friend B. Owned a Lincoln dealership and I got a discount on the Lincoln I bought many moons ago.
Friend C. Worked at a resort/hotel on Mackinac Island and we would swap rooms and suites from my golf/ski resort for each other. Free ferry tickets to the island.
Friend D. Owns a gift store and a resort wear store and gives Mr. P and I stuff for our vacation home (glasses, stone coasters, fancy travel mugs, etc) and tees, casual jackets and sweatshirts...
Friend E. still works for a company I used to work for. Free hotel rooms in Northern Michigan if needed.
Niece/Sister used to work on South Padre Island and get Mr. Pom and I free fishing trip, free dolphin excursion tickets, comped hotel rooms, free meals and booze, free horseback riding on the beach. Everyone has moved away though
Work friend of Mr. P has sent us to South Padre Island for the past 3 years, pays fee for Mr. Pom to fish in a tournament, pays guide/boat, and free waterfront resort rooms for us for the weekend.

[cmarie11]

DH is a chiropractor, so I get adjusted for free. His office is next door to our gym, so we trade the owners of the gym for a free membership, and DH adjusts them for free.

I'm a physician assistant, as are many of my friends, so we often trade favors if one of needs a Rx called in. I'm not talking like pain meds, but an occasional antibiotic or anti-fungal cream, lol.

FIL works at a private university, and they paid for DH's undergrad, which was huge.

My dad is an accountant for a company that makes generic PB, salad dressings, spaghetti sauce, etc. I currently have about 10 jars of PB in my pantry. 

[Deleted]

Aug 29, 2014 22:12:54 GMT -5 pattieice said:

It's official. I need a new family.

This made me LOL.

I have friends and family at pretty much every major auto manufacturer, foreign and domestic, given my Detroit roots.

But...I also ask for friends and family discounts all the time, when negotiating. That, and a discount for paying cash, along with an inquiry to match a recent or upcoming sale pretty much locks in at least a 20 - 40% discount every time.  

[Poppy]

My mom is my physical therapist!