Want a Discount? Just Use the Obvious But Magic Words

A little over a year ago, a San Diego-based blogger who goes by the name Roxy began a simple yet brilliant experiment. At least once a day from July 1, 2008, to June 30, 2009, she nicely asked shopkeepers, waiters, flight attendants, and pretty much anyone else she ran across if they could give her discounts, perks, upgrades, freebies, or any other sort of extra.