It costs more to be a woman—especially when salesmen are trying to trick you into paying more just because they think they can get away with it.
The pink tax
Women are unfortunately subjected to the pink tax regularly. The pink tax isn’t an official tax you’ll find on a receipt. Instead, it refers to the fact that, one, people with uteruses have to pay sales tax for necessary items like menstrual products, while men can buy items like Viagra tax-free.
Two, the same products that men use will often cost more if they’re marketed to women. Think razors, deodorants, underwear, and socks. (And sometimes, the more expensive women’s items will be of worse quality, adding insult to injury.)
And that discriminatory pricing carries over into the car world, though this likely doesn’t come as a shock for anybody who knows that those in male-dominated fields, like mechanics and car salespeople, are infamous for taking advantage of female customers. Some mechanics have even admitted to doing so.
One woman had a Kia dealership sell off her car without her consent, while another was vastly overcharged for a routine oil change.
“I really got tried today at the Infiniti dealership,” Cierra (@vitamincierra) shares in a viral video. Her video has been viewed over 250,000 times since Saturday.
She says she walked into the dealership knowing exactly the car she wanted. She says she already confirmed on its website that it had the make and model in her budget.
But when she got there, she says they didn’t have the car.
The salesperson showed her another vehicle that still met all of her qualifications.
According to Cierra, the person gave her a price that was $5,000 more than advertised.
“I understand taxes. I understand dealer fees and everything else. This is the third Infiniti that I was willing to purchase, and I called him out. ‘Why is the original price $2,000 more than what we just looked at?’”
Added fees to watch out for
She says the worker told her the price went up because of her zip code. Cierra says that is “complete BS” since that only applies to the taxes.
That’s when the worker started haggling, she continues. She says he said he’d give her $1,000 off for being loyal to the brand and would knock down another $1,000 if she financed through the dealership (which isn’t always the best option, depending on your credit score and finances).
She says that he also tried to charge her a delivery fee, even though she was willing to drive it off the lot. Keep in mind, he was charging to take it a mere 20 minutes away to her house.
And it just kept going, she says. She adds that he also tried to charge $550 for the tag and title, even though she already had a tag.
“He said he was willing to shave off $200,” Cierra recounts with a stern look. “A title transfer does not $350. It cost $100.”
“I understand he has to eat, and he’s trying to make a commission, but don’t do that. Don’t jack up the price and then try to make it seem like you’re giving me a deal,” she says.
On top of all that, the worker didn’t want to honor the cash price. Instead, he insisted on having Cierra finance, which Cierra says she wasn’t willing to do.
“He’s sweating. I could tell he did not like when I called him out on every little thing ’cause I know that he was playing me,” she says.
As Cierra walked out, likely getting the price she wanted, she says the salesman told her, “‘Clearly, you’re not a dumb girl.’”
@vitamincierra The car salesman really said “Clearly, you’re not a dumb girl” right before I walked out… #smh #cars #infiniti #q50 #cardealerships #sleezy #scam #knowledgeispower #stayeducated #girlsandcars ♬ original sound – Vitamin C ❤️🔥
Viewers weigh in
People in the comments section had a lot to say on the matter.
“It’s pure hell to buy a car,” a person said.
“Walk up to the sales manager and ask for a different sales person. That will melt down their brains. I used to sell cars…” another recommended.
“Anytime I’m doing cash price I walk in with the check filled out with the final price. I don’t even listen to the BS. It’s take it or leave it. You’d be shocked at how easy it makes the process,” a commenter shared.
The Daily Dot reached out to Cierra via Instagram direct message and to Infiniti via email.
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