When They Just Don't Get It

[Jester]

Negotiation works when both parties have something the other person wants of equal value.

They don't have to be of equal value. You can negotiate with items that are of differing values. It's all in what you want.

Example: after a drunken spelling bee at The Bar, I had gotten a prize of a $50 gift card to....The Bar. Another contestant had gotten a lesser prize of a bottle of Kilo Kai spiced rum, which retails for about $20. I offered to trade my card for their bottle. Since I work at The Bar, the card, while it would have gotten me a bunch of food and drink after my discount, just didn't excite me. The rum did. They thought about it for a bit, and made the trade, and both parties were happy. Similarly, I've traded a large expensive bottle of vodka for a smaller, cheaper bottle of rum. Since I love the latter and don't care for the former, it was an easy thing for me to do. Since most people do like vodka, it wasn't a hard deal to make.