If you don’t ask you won’t get!

If you don’t ask you won’t get! If you do ask you might!!

One of the things I find interesting is that many costing structures fishing guides use includes having to pay a commission to agents who send them business. This may be up to 20% and is one of the costs of running a business based in the tourism industry in New Zealand. Because of this, that cost gets built into the retail price and that what is offered as the advertised retail price (unless the business owner is either dumb or is not dealing with agents – unlikely)to you the general public.

In the quieter months of the season (October, November, April and May)in the South Island ask for a discount and you may be pleasantly surprised. The guide may not offer you a 20% discount but I think most people would be happy getting a 10% discount. Of course as the busy months of the season arrive (December, January, Feburary and March the answer is more the likely to be “no, bugger off” if you had the audacity to ask in the first place. Basically it is a supply and demand issue and everybody is busy over those months!

Ask me for a discount in October or May and I will most certainly offer you 10% and you might be lucky and get 15% off but it depends on your bargaining skills.

Another scenario that pops up all over New Zealand is the many “fly by night guides” who are operating completely illegally – check out my next post and I will give you the low down on how to avoid the cowboys!

Tight Lines