GM allows workers to offer discounts to everyone
Faced with miserable sales and a brutal economy, General Motors has reverted back to employee pricing for non-GM employees and family members. You may remember the last employee pricing campaign in 2005 that led to record summer sales followed by a miserable fall due to the fact that everybody looking to buy a vehicle pulled their purchase decision forward. This time around, only customers that get a unique PIN from an employee will receive the special pricing, and every GM employee gets one PIN to give away. That translates to roughly 108,000 vehicles that are eligible for special pricing, and only active employees are eligible to participate. Left out of the discounted car sell-athon is the General's considerable pool of retirees, which is larger than the sum of active workers. GM is hoping the promotion will give sales a boost without resorting to wholesale incentives to everyone, and with July rumored to be just as bad as June, the General can use all the help it can get.[Source: Detroit News]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
2007RC46SP2 3:14PM (7/25/2008)
PIN for $ale.
;)
Reply
KeatMP 3:16PM (7/25/2008)
Could you eBay that special PIN. I would guess that could get you some money if your not going to use it.
Reply
Dude 3:25PM (7/25/2008)
Now that's a clever way to move those last remaining '08s off the lot without destroying resale value or killing Fall sales.
Reply
luscious 3:27PM (7/25/2008)
The only pin I want is a "29" lapel pin.
Would anyone care to sell me one? Please?
Repeat after me, everyone: "29!! 29!!! We're gonna take the WORLD by STORM!!! 29!! 29!!.."
PS, I have a "slightly used" GM myself...if I don't sell it to a Mexican Landscape Architect", would any of you out there like it? I'll give you the special "family discount"!!!
HAHA, how low can you go there GM???
Imagine sitting next to a so-called "friend" at church....when during a brief intermission, he say's to you "Hey, did you know I can get you a special family discount on a GM? Why, they're WONDERFUL vehicles....TRUST ME!!"
HAHA, what's next, a free Saturday Night Special w/ the purchase of a Buick??
Reply
KeatMP 3:36PM (7/25/2008)
Getting a little hysterical there are we?
Matt 8:34PM (7/25/2008)
"Why, they're WONDERFUL vehicles....TRUST ME!!""
They are pretty nice, jackass, thanks for sharing.
oby 3:31PM (7/25/2008)
I love the smell of desperation in the morning...
...smells like bankruptcy!
Reply
rar 3:33PM (7/25/2008)
Maybe that's your breath backing up on you.
KeatMP 3:37PM (7/25/2008)
^^hahaha^^
Brian 3:31PM (7/25/2008)
I got over 5 grand off my CTS last April by using my dads pin code. If I would have got an Escalade I would have got 9 grand off the sticker. This was all before Cadillac was offering any rebates on their cars. If you know someone who can give you a pin code, I would definetly take it.
Reply
dan spalinger 3:31PM (7/25/2008)
What a horrid...horrid marketing idea....Can they even advertise this crap?? I mean IF you find someone who actually WANTS to buy a GM vehicle you are going to make them jump through hoops in order to get the special pricing?!? I swear...sometimes its like the Detroit 3 WANT to go belly up....What will happen is this...the very few people who do come through the doors at GM dealerships will be "given" the PIN # of an employee at that dealership in order to close the deal and move metal until the dealership runs out of employee PIN #'s to give out...and then what happens?? A customer comes in looking for this deal and gets turned away thereby ruining their impression of GM...Lutz, Le"naive" get dumber by the day...
Reply
MajorGeek 3:53PM (7/25/2008)
Could make sense, except they are offering it when sales are in a miserable slump, like in 2005. Odds are anyone using this pin number was not buying before they had it. The employee savings is pretty sweet. I am considering grabbing one so I can buy Vintages next used car ;)
obie 4:12PM (7/25/2008)
This won't be advertised much at all, so the dealers won't need to worry about tons of people coming through their doors asking for the pricing.
I think it's actually a smart idea, because the people given the pins will probably go back to the employee when they go to make their next car purchase. The key is retention, which GM has had a big problem with.
employee 10:23AM (7/26/2008)
idiot! dealer employees are not GM employees
old blighty 11:40AM (7/31/2008)
Does this apply to GM's good cars? I.e. the Vette and the CTS?
Reply
MajorGeek 3:53PM (7/25/2008)
LOL watching the bankruptcy comments are as funny as 6 dollar a gallon gas by summers end. Go ahead, screen shot it and save it. Neither is happening.
Reply
Pat 3:56PM (7/25/2008)
Shouldn't you kids be in summer school?
Reply
jayzala 4:59PM (7/25/2008)
I don't get employee pricing, with the current sales trend of GM vehicles, couldn't you just get the 2-3 grand off MSRP which is the same as the employee pricing with just some haggling?
Reply
kory kickul 7:44PM (7/25/2008)
what to do, what to do???? I have a great idea. build a vehicle people want. try that first, if that doesnt work, give up. Until you bring a demand for something they will continue to give them away until they go broke. The general is dying a slow death.
Reply
Matt 8:35PM (7/25/2008)
If you're going to post a comment as ignorant as that, you really should provide a chapter or two as to how you figure it's truthful or accurate.
Why wouldn't somebody want a GM? They offer nice cars in nearly every segment, and often times for far cheaper than imports cost. They are also to own and maintain, not to mention the article I remember seeing (I think on Autoblog) saying the average wait time before being able to get in for scheduled service on a Camry is 3 weeks long... definately don't have that problem with domestics.
Not to mention the only people suggesting new GMs are "unreliable" is the obviously-biased Consumer Reports, and interior materials on new GM products meet or exceed their competition often.
But... considering that you've probably never owned a NEW car, let alone a NEW GM, you wouldn't know, would you? :(