History Main / NoheroDiscount

So you're the plucky group of young heroes out to defeat the EvilOverlord and bring peace back to the world. You'd think that means that shopkeepers might give you discounts or even free items — after all, you're protecting them and ensuring they'll still have not only their shops but also their businesses in the future. And, y'know, their ''lives''.

* ''TabletopGame/ContinuumRoleplayingInTheYet'' averts this trope. Since the characters are time travelers, it's assumed they are all very wealthy. The Continuum - the main faction of time travelers, assumes you would use time travel to get whatever you need, including money, so they make allowances. Likewise, you can pull the trick seen in ''Film/BillAndTedsBogusJourney'' and simply make equipment appear what you need - by accepting an obligation to in your future take the time to set up the thing you need where you need it. So the protagonists literally can have nearly anything they need whenever they need it. The same applies to skills, with one example mentioning a character finding themselves on a crashing hovercraft, hopping back in time, working to set up a chance to learn to pilot hovercraft, learning those lessons, then jumping back to the time of the crash and saving the day.

** Furthermore, those characters who suggest you ask someone else for needed items and information - and who are fully aware of the importance of you getting them - can't be bothered to so much as loan you the necessary credits.

** In general you're presumably on an expense account, you presumably can file the associated report and be reimbursed when the main plot is over. For the really expensive stuff (such as getting access to Heng Sha) your company ''does'' provide, which turns out to be a whole new problem - and makes the advantages of using money and equipment which can't be traced to your employer clear.

*** Played with in a sidequest in the Sector 5 slums. After Cloud and Aerith rescue two of the kids from the Leaf Orphanage, the group of children will offer Cloud a quest to kill the "Toad King" (a rare variant of the Hedgehog Pie)... but they lack the money to pay him anything, and he tells them that they can't afford his usual fee. Upon further thought, Cloud agrees to give them "a special discount" and tells them they can pay him three Gil for the work. After the mission is completed, however, the kids will hand over the one piece of treasure they have - the unique Nail Bat weapon, which is worth "much more than" three Gil.

* Justified in ''VideoGame/{{Okami}}'''s very last "shop" in [[spoiler:the Ark of Yamato, the place where all the demons and evil spirits have gathered for you to defeat once and for all]]. You're not really "buying" anything - as Marco the NPC puts it, you are leaving a cash offering for the Celestials, and being rewarded based on however much you leave.

* Lampshaded toward the end of ''Videogame/StarOceanTheLastHope''. The Morphus, an ancient and advanced race of galactic guardians, have recognized you as a group of remarkably powerful heroes, and have made you the spearhead in their strategy to prevent the destruction of the entire universe. However, if you approach their own weapons-vendor, he will curtly inform you that "Despite the impending end of the universe, we unfortunately cannot offer you a discount..." But actually it's averted —- you ''can'' get a 10% discount in this and every other store, if you help the owner with a few {{Fetch Quest}}s.

* In ''Webcomic/AntiHeroForHire'', there is constant concern over the cost of specialty ammunition outweighing rewards. He eats a lot of ramen.
* ''Webcomic/{{Freefall}}'':
** Sam [[http://freefall.purrsia.com/ff2300/fc02230.htm tries to get a discount on a bus ride when saving the planet]], but to no avail. [[http://freefall.purrsia.com/ff2300/fc02251.htm A robot is more successful.]] [[http://freefall.purrsia.com/ff2300/fc02256.htm Until accused of shoplifting.]]
* In ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'', John, even though he's the legendary hero of the Land of Wind and Shade, and has proven this time and time again, can only buy Fraymotifs at astronomically exorbitant prices, even though he saved all of the salamanders' lives. This is probably [[JustifiedTrope justified]], because a) the salamanders (being constructs of the Session) are bound to the SBURB mechanics and thus have no choice in the matter and b) Fraymotifs are supposed to be endgame-level powers, [[CashGate so the ludicrous prices ensure you don't get them too early and further break the game]].
* In a SFW ''Webcomic/{{Oglaf}}'' strip, [[https://www.oglaf.com/pay-win/ Pay to Win]], TheChosenOne refuses to pay 500 gold for the sword he needs to fulfill a prophecy. [[spoiler:[[ProphecyTwist The prophecy turns out to end with him]] [[ShopliftAndDie dying an ignominious death in a shop.]]]]

%% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1312140964069140500
%% Please do not change or remove without starting a new thread.

* Also happens in most any bounty hunter anime, from ''Anime/CowboyBebop'' to ''Manga/GunsmithCats''. You break it, you bought it. Used mostly as an excuse to keep the heroes working by remaining in debt for the period of the show and sometimes past the ending as well.

* OlderThanSteam: At chapter XVI, the Innkeeper asks ''Literature/DonQuixote'' for his pay. Don Quixote answers him that ThereShouldBeALaw that forces HospitalityForHeroes on [[KnightErrant Knights Errant]] like himself:
--> "I have little to do with that," replied the innkeeper; "pay me what you owe me, and let us have no more talk of chivalry, for all I care about is to get my money."
* {{Subverted|Trope}} in ''Literature/ThreeHeartsAndThreeLions''. It appears that one character is going to charge for his services to the hero, even though he knows full well the hero probably going to be in a major battle to save the world soon. But before he can, another character guilts him out of it.

* ''Series/JessicaJones2015'': The season 2 finale sees Jessica stop an armed robbery at the liquor store where she shops for booze, but she doesn't earn a free bottle as a result.

* In ''Franchise/TheWorldOfDarkness'', you aren't the chosen heroes. Set in UrbanFantasy with TheMasquerade hiding the supernatural from Muggles, characters are generally free to invest points in character creation into wealth. Doing so simply means you have a bank account and possessions - and are generally subject to the same market forces as everyone else. Additionally, magic generally isn't for sale - well, not for cash. So just because you're a vampire or a mage doesn't mean your landlord is going to suddenly charge less rent - well, until you mind control him, anyway.
* ''TabletopGame/ShadowRun'', as a game of CyberPunk UrbanFantasy, does things similarly to World of Darkness, though as a shadowrunner (an elite mercenary doing some quite shady and deniable covert ops for the mega-corps), you aren't buying the same things as the normal people in the world. Though if you have a good negotiator on your team, you might be able to wrangle a little extra money out of Mr Johnson in order to purchase specialized equipment for a run.
* ''TabletopGame/{{Paranoia}}'' plays with this trope; Player Characters are often given elite, unreliable, possibly explosive gear no one should have. They're tasked with testing it on mission and are responsible for returning it safely. This can even be as ridiculous as being required to test a nuclear grenade with a three hundred yard radius ''and'' bring the grenade back intact. It helps that Paranoia is a darkly satirical send-up of RPGS and dystopian fiction.
* ''[[TabletopGame/StarWarsRoleplayingGame Star Wars: Edge of the Empire]]'' makes a mechanic of this trope; the GM has means of invoking your various debts and using them to push you down the plot.
* ''TabletopGame/DarkHeresy'' takes this trope into WithThisHerring territory; you can be an agent of the Inquisition scrounging for the cheapest weapons in the Imperium. Remember, the Inquisition has life-or-death authority over almost anyone in the Imperium. Then again, your team is one of quite likely ''hundreds of thousands'' working for the Inquisition, in a setting that's very heavy on WeHaveReserves. Do you really think ''you're'' so special as to deserve extra funds?

* ''TabletopGame/RogueTrader'' averts it, hard. The question isn't "Can we afford that gear?" It's more like, "Can we equip those ten thousand soldiers with that gear?" The answer is usually, "Take it out of petty cash."

* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda''
** Not only will shops always charge you full price, but given how this game averts WalletOfHolding and yet combines MoneyForNothing and [[CashGate Cash Gates]] for the shop's best items, you're often dealing with shopkeepers who sell items at such prices that you need a legendary wallet, fabled in song and story, just to carry the rupees needed to buy their wares.
** ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker The Wind Waker]]'' takes this UpToEleven with Bomb-Master [[MeaningfulName Cannon]], who sells his bombs for prices several orders of magnitude above what you can possibly carry. This isn't intended as a CashGate, but as a BrokenBridge, and bombs can be bought for normal prices after the pirates rob the merchant of his bombs as part of the story. Prior to that, the merchant seems [[CardCarryingVillain mighty pleased with his greedy exploitation of his monopoly]], seemingly forgetting that, monopoly or not, he's not making money: no one can buy his wares because they cost more than the combined wealth of the world. In the same game, Tingle charges 398 Rupees to decipher each of eight maps needed to find the pieces of the Triforce. You have to get the first wallet upgrade to even pay this.[[labelnote:However]]In the HD remake, the base wallet amount is upped to 500 Rupees, so you don't need the first upgrade to be able to decipher the charts. [[/labelnote]] Luckily, you can hold up to 5000 Rupees after finding both wallet upgrades, a big jump from previous Zelda games.
** ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess Twilight Princess]]'' also has a example, similar to ''Wind Waker'', with [[PreppyName Chudley's Fine Goods and Fancy Trinkets Emporium]]. Only the rich members of Hyrule town can afford to shop there, which unfortunately doesn't include ''you''.[[spoiler: Only by completing a side quest later in the game will Malo take over the shop, and the prices will drop drastically]].
** In ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword Skyward Sword]]'', despite everyone in Skyloft knowing that you're saving Zelda (or at least that you're on a VERY important mission) you have to buy your potion, your equipment, and pay for its upgrades.
** Justified in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild Breath of the Wild]]'' in regard to Purah and Robbie, the two Sheikah scientists who give you upgrades and items based on ancient {{Magitek}}. They'd ''like'' to give that stuff away, but the [[AfterTheEnd collapse of the central government of Hyrule in the Great Calamity a hundred years ago]] cut them off from the regular funds and resources they once had for their research, so Link must fork over rupees and Ancient parts for their services.
* Lampshaded in ''Albert Odyssey: Legend of Eldean'', where the shopkeeper who follows you to the VeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon justifies herself saying that she not only trusts your ability to defeat the bad guy, but if you should fail, the money wouldn't matter anyway.
* ''VideoGame/{{Alundra}}'' eventually averts this, once the entire village puts their trust in you to save them, you can take healing items from the shop for free.
* Avoided for the very last mission in ''VideoGame/ArchimedeanDynasty'', where the fate of humanity hangs in the balance (but what's new?). Even the most expensive and most powerful cannon is offered for a pittance.
* ''VideoGame/BaldursGate'' zig-zags this trope. If you perform enough heroic acts and get your [[KarmaMeter reputation]] high enough, shop prices start going down (to a maximum of 50% at 20 reputation) as the shopkeepers realize you're probably going to use the ludicrously expensive items for a good purpose (on the opposite side, being evil makes store prices higher). You still sell items for less than a fraction of what they're being sold for, and nobody ever just ''gives'' you items no matter your need. This creates a few plots holes, such as Drow (evil underground elf) merchants giving you lower prices based on your heroic deeds on the surface, as well as having to buy items from a priest in an elven city you're currently saving from an EvilSorcerer.

** In ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaPortraitOfRuin'', the monk, Vincent, will sell you various supplies. During a plot event, he'll be [[spoiler:bitten by a vampire, and he'll run back in asking you to heal him. When entering his shop menu, he usually says "I'll make you a deal!", but when he's sick, he literally says "I'll lower the price... I'll lower the price!" However, he doesn't, and after you heal him, your characters ask him if he ''will'' lower the price--to which he responds that he's gotta make a living.]] Bummer.

* Zig-zagged in ''VideoGame/Conception2ChildrenOfTheSevenStars''. Fort City doesn't charge the teenage protagonists for equipment... but it ''does'' require them to cash in Glow Points. GP are a merit system, earned by fighting monsters - and real, potentially lethal monsters at that, training in the simulator doesn't count. When one character [[LampshadeHanging asks why they're not being given this equipment for free]], he's promptly told "nothing good ever comes when man's grasp exceeds his reach" - the war effort is half-run by the Church, who firmly believes man's pride has caused the current crisis. That said, the other half of the effort, [=AngelMarker=] R&D, is only too eager to provide experimental but crucial equipment like [[TheHero Wake's]] [[AmplifierArtifact Ether Amp]] of the heroines' Dusk Breakers for free. [[spoiler: All of this becomes a plot point when it turns out the [[CorruptCorporateExecutive CEO]] of [=AngelMarker=] is stonewalling attempts to end the war permanently so he can continue profiteering from the research funding the church is giving them.]]

* Somewhat-mocked in ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIX'', where after you save Batsureg, the shopkeepers declare that all their wares are yours...but of course you are such a hero that you will still compensate them.

* Zigzagged in ''VideoGame/MapleStory''; while ''you'' don't get discounts for ''your'' heroics, one benefit to belonging to a Guild is that they grant merchant discounts depending on their game ranking. The bigger the guild and the most high-Level players in said guild, the better the discount. Thus, a guild full of heroic players will indeed get a Hero Discount, but this is rendered void if you leave it.

** The Great Khan armory merchant sells at price if you're liked by them. No discount - base price, whether you're buying or selling. This makes her an excellent choice for unloading expensive stuff, since you can trade in for ammunition and other cheap stuff without suffering price attrition.

* In ''VideoGame/DeadIsland'', most of the survivor base areas have vendors who will sell you equipment. Despite the fact that the island has been overrun with zombies (thus making money useless), you constantly perform missions to help them, and the fact that they face certain death if you are killed, the vendors still insist on charging you money for their items

* ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRPG'':
** In the final dungeon, just before the entrance to the final boss battle against Smithy, ''The'' Toad as in Peach's assistant, sets up the area with a save block. He also sets up ''shop'' [[IntrepidMerchant to sell you items]] like mushrooms and revival potions. Note that this Toad is on ''your'' side and the fate of the world hangs in the balance on this next fight. Guess the economy's more important than that. Although he does sell them at half price.
** It gets weird when storming Bowser's Castle in the endgame, where Kamek will still sell Bowser and the others end-game equipment, and to help them afford the prices conjures a block that never runs out of coins, but only gives them one at a time, making it so that you have to strike it ''over a thousand times'' to buy everything. And you can carry at most 999 coins, so even if you came prepared you'll still have to jump quite a while.
** Before that, [[CloudCuckooLander Hinopio]] charges positively extraordinary prices for the luxury of sleeping on a pile of wooden crates. In a volcano. This gets lampshaded in the official strategy guide. (It helps that Hinopio is the only inn in the volcano. It also makes for a great moment when Mario awakens face-down on the very uncomfortable-looking crates.)
* Absent in the original ''VideoGame/{{Paper Mario|64}}'' , where the Toad Houses are free of charge. It is hinted somewhere in the game it's because they're owned by the Mushroom Kingdom and thus are a public service and not a private one like in every other [=RPG=].
* Justified in ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor'' where Mario and his crew get no discounts whatsoever, but at the same time they're ''not'' objectively out on a quest to save the world but merely out to save Princess Peach [[DamselScrappy again]]. To everyone else they're just another dime-a-dozen group of adventurers on a personal quest and undeserving of a discount, and while they do inadvertently save the world nobody is even aware of this until the game credits start.
* ''VideoGame/SuperPaperMario''
** You're saving ''the universe'', and you ''still'' have to pay for every single thing including Inns, items, and even ''fortune telling'' on which places you're supposed to be. How about the fact that Mario was the legendary hero to save the universe foretold 1000 years ago? And of course the things you buy are twice as costly as when you sell them.
** Bestovius makes reference to this trope, telling Mario that he will not teach him how to flip dimensions for free, and complaining that "heroes always expect everything to be given to them!". It does turn into a subversion if you refuse to pay twice in a row, whereupon he offers to teach it for free just so you can continue on your quest.
* This goes back to ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros3'' where Toad lets you pick one of three boxes and get whatever item is inside it. Why not just let Mario get the items from all three boxes?
* Princess Peach can't even catch a break from ''her own subjects''. In ''VideoGame/SuperPrincessPeach'', Toad is pretty annoyed if she asks for something in his shop and doesn't have enough Coins, and the worst part is, this game has an AdamSmithHatesYourGuts rule in regards to Vibe Tea and Tough Coffee. (Sure, the Mushroom Kingdom is in it's DarkestHour with both Mario ''and'' Luigi being held hostage, but the guy can't fudge the rules for the Princess, right?) [[spoiler:(Although Peach ''can'' get infinite coins if you know the "trick".)]]

** Averted in [[VideoGame/MassEffect2 the sequel]]. You can get a discount at every shop, either by Charm/Intimidate dialogue or by completing a SideQuest. It's also lampshaded in this game by Mordin, a former salarian Special Task Group member who - comparing the [=STGs=] to the Spectres - comments that they're quite similar, but better-funded and not generally expected to buy their own weapons.

* {{M|assivelyMultiplayerOnlineRolePlayingGame}}MORPGs can take this trope go UpToEleven. Not only do you not get discounts for saving the town/country/world--not even if the shopkeeper himself gives you quests for TwentyBearAsses--but your fellow players will often charge ridiculously exorbitant prices for rare items and equipment.

* In ''VideoGame/NeverwinterNights: Hordes of the Underdark'', you can ask a couple of merchants why you must pay if you are trying to save them all. One says you are "trying"--that is, he can't afford to lose money in case you fail, and if it comes to that he plans to run away. The other is a smith and needs gold for his furnace to burn properly.

* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'':
** Downplayed in ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Morrowind]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]''. Completing quests for merchants who offer them will increase those merchants' dispositions, which will lead to better prices. The same is also true for completing faction quests and will net you a disposition boost for merchants in that faction. In ''Morrowind'' in particular, after completing the main quest, you can mention your status as the world-saving hero in NPC conversations for a guaranteed disposition increase. Despite this, it's still not completely averted since no matter what you do, you'll never get those merchants to give away their stock or even offer you prices below the item's actual value.
** Similarly Downplayed in ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'', where doing favors for merchants (or simply being a regular customer for long enough) can allow you to take the cheap stuff off their shelves for free, when it would otherwise be considered stealing.

** Justified in that the multinational was doing everything in its power to hide that [[spoiler:they caused the problems that she's trying to repair in the first place]]. Why would they do anything that might give away what they're hiding? Even when she takes it over [[spoiler:following her father's murder]], she still answers to the stockholders and can't pull any resources out of their grip. (Besides, she talks them into giving you a way to buy weapons in the first place - not to mention putting the RobotGirl on your team, something they could theoretically overrule.)

* Lampshaded and averted in the final chapter of ''VideoGame/TreasureOfTheRudra'' - Cid does give you a discount, but is chewed out because he still charges you at all, claiming he's selling from his personal emergency stash.

* Justified in ''VideoGame/{{Lemegeton}}''. You're not giving gold to Noiva as payment, but rather so she can use the stuff, being the king element and all, as alchemical fuel to create what you need.
* In ''VideoGame/DinkSmallwood'' mod ''Attack of the Mutant Veggies'' the only sword available costs 500 gold pieces ''and'' a note of permission from the king. When Dink argues that he should just be ''given'' the sword since he's the only one saving their butts from the title ex-foodstuffs, the blacksmith counters that he and his family still have to eat.
* In ''Heroine Quest'', doing major favors for the shop keepers (rescuing one's child and helping two of them unite with each other) will not get you free stuff, but will get you everything sold at cost instead. It is the Fimblewinter, and people do have to eat.
* ''[[Creator/SteveJacksonGames Steve Jackson]]'s Sorcery'': When the shopkeeper of the FirstTown tells you the price for rations, you can choose "Haggle" and your character will tell him that s/he is "the new best hope" for the kingdom. The shopkeeper apologises, but says "I still have to feed my family, whatever happens to the Crown."
* ''Like Clockwork'' plays with this (and ChainmailBikini) right at the start with the smith.
* Justified and lampshaded in ''VideoGame/{{Avadon}}''. One question you ask of the Fortress Quartermaster is why you should have to pay for equipment. He's heard it from everyone else, and it's because [[TheTeamBenefactor Redbeard]] wants the Hands to be self-sufficient as possible.
* The Black Market Imps in ''VideoGame/PinballQuest'' charge you full price for better equipment. Justified as they don't care about your quest in the least.
* The Neptunia series deserves a special mention. In every game, your party contains the very goddesses that rule over the world, and yet you're still forced to buy all of your items and equipment.
* The first two ''VideoGame/EscapeVelocity'' games do not give you any actual ''discounts'', although certain missions could give you specific upgrades (usually ones you couldn't get elsewhere, and that were tied to the specific ship you were using at the time and so couldn't be transferred if you wanted to get a new ship), and both games had the explanation that you are technically a freelancing mercenary, so just being allowed to buy and use highly restricted military equipment is a pretty hefty concession already. The third game, ''Nova'' allowed for averting by adding titles the character could get, which behind the scenes could be set to reduce outfit costs by a given percentage from worlds controlled by the faction the title was tied to.
* Averted in ''VideoGame/ShovelKnight''. Shovel Knight receives ichor from the Troupple King for free (though he still has to purchase a chalice to hold it). In Plague Knight's campaign "Plague of Shadows", the Troupple King charges Plague Knight a hefty sum for ichor, because he's a villain and therefore needs to pay a "repentance fee". This is actually an example of GameplayAndStoryIntegration: As Plague Knight you are buying armor upgrades, rather than just refilling your health potions.
* Lampshaded in ''Lawrence of Aragon'' after leaving an item shop in the starting town.
-->'''Lawrence:''' No matter what you do for the people, they're never grateful enough to offer a discount.
* A ''voluntary'' example in ''VideoGame/RabiRibi'': shopkeeper Miriam is [[HospitalityForHeroes willing to offer her wares to protagonist Erina at no cost]], as Miriam is friends with Erina's master Rumi, but Erina insists on paying like everyone else. Miriam still insists on giving her a discount, and will periodically give her items for free anyway.
* ''VideoGame/ValkyriaChronicles'' has a variation. Instead of buying better equipment for Squad 7, you pay the R&D fees to develop better equipment, which is then issued to them for no further charge. Let's not ask why one militia squad seems to be directing the entire R&D effort of the nation of Gallia.
* In ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'':
** Even though the shopkeeper and the protagonist are friends, members of the same organization, and trying to save the world after it's ''already'' been destroyed, she still used to raise the price on you for every single goddamn copy of her painting that you bought. (The price was eventually lowered and players got a refund if they'd bought it at the original extortionate prices, though.)
** During the ''VideoGame/FateExtra CCC'' crossover event, despite the world ''literally'' on the brink of destruction, BB refuses to just hand you stuff for free because she needed to take time to sneak everything by the event's BigBad. She then goes onto say you should be grateful you're even able to buy things from her since she did all the hard work of bringing everything together behind the scenes.
* ''VideoGame/{{Warframe}}'': You have to pay rather hefty amounts of credits to build things at your own personal foundry, in addition to the costs in materials. [[AllThereInTheManual Side material]] reveals that this is a result of your ship's [[ArtificialIntelligence Cephalon]] skimming off the top in order to keep the ship maintained, the food stores stocked, and so on. If he didn't do that, your ship would fall apart and you'd starve to death after spending all your money buying a bunch of weapons blueprints off the market.
* ''VideoGame/Ghostbusters1990'' has the weapons shop owner that sells you weapons and shields for very high prices, despite the fact that such tools are practically needed for a Ghostbuster to do their job properly (the Barrier item is the most expensive at $30,000!). Playing normally, you'll never be able to buy every single item unless you deliberately grind money from safes, exit the level, and then repeat. After completing the Castle level however, the weapons shop owner will actually compensate you for that level since he wants to see his EvilFormerFriend be put to justice.
* ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter'' averts this, though in a roundabout way that goes unnoticed. Each game typically has "points", a GlobalCurrencyException that can be used instead of money in some places, and is outright required for certain specialized services. These points aren't actually currency, but represent the quid-pro-quo the Hunter has earned - for example, in ''Monster Hunter 4'', the Hunter can claim services from travelling companions with Caravan Points, said companions explaining they're spotting the cost in return for quest work the Hunter has done.
* Zigzagged in ''[[VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry3DixieKongsDoubleTrouble Donkey Kong Land III]]'' with the various bear cabins. They'll let you play a matching game to win prizes for free simply for finding Bonus Coins, but it's ''only'' free the first time. Win or lose, each subsequent play they charge 5 Bear Coins, pointing out that they ''are'' running a business:
--> '''Bear:''' Five coins to play again! Hey, I gotta make a living too!

* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'': Masked superheroes Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy are frequent patrons of the Krusty Krab, but they have to pay full price just like everyone else. Barnacle Boy attempts to ask for a "living legend discount", to no avail. ''WesternAnimation/TheSpongeBobSquarePantsMovie'' has Mr. Krabs hastily try to up the prices of everything when King Neptune arrives.

* Zigzagged in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/FilmationsGhostbusters''. To combat a dragon that's melting the polar caps and causing global flooding, the heroes have to fly back to civilization and get an industrial-strength fire extinguisher. The merchant doesn't demand payment on the spot (he expresses concern over the flooding himself), but ''does'' say he'll mail them the bill.

* ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' can get rather silly about this. ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemRadiantDawn Radiant Dawn]]'' is especially bad near the end. [[spoiler: All of humanity is frozen in stone by an evil god. The only people still alive are your party, the enemies (brought back to life by the god to stop you) and a group of merchants following you.]] They STILL don't offer you a discount. The kicker? In a few cutscenes, they outright '''give''' you the [[InfinityPlusOneSword Infinity+1 Spellbooks]] they found lying around for free BECAUSE you're the last people alive and you're the only hope for everyone. Not the most consistent of merchants, these guys.
** It gets even sillier when you realize that they DID give your army a discount for one chapter earlier in the game, before [[spoiler:everyone was turned to stone.]] Why they didn't think to do so again is anyone's guess.

* Often, the person behind the counter is not the decision-maker who has the ability to grant you a discount. Giving you free things is essentially stealing from their employer (unless they make up the difference out of their own pockets). This is why it was wrong to blame Starbucks shops for not giving away bottled water to rescue workers at Ground Zero after 9/11.

* Often, the person behind the counter is not the decision-maker who has the ability to grant you a discount. Giving you free things is essentially stealing from their employer. This is why it was wrong to blame Starbucks shops for not giving away bottled water to rescue workers at Ground Zero after 9/11.

** In ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts'', ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII II]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII III]]'', Huey, Dewey and Louie don't give a damn that their [[WesternAnimation/DonaldDuck uncle]] is buying and saving the world as we know it, as long as he keeps on coughing up the munny. They even say in ''I'' and ''III'' that Donald gets "No family discounts!"

** In ''VideoGame/Kingdom HeartsI'', ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII II]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII III]]'', Huey, Dewey and Louie don't give a damn that their [[WesternAnimation/DonaldDuck uncle]] is buying and saving the world as we know it, as long as he keeps on coughing up the munny. They even say in ''I'' and ''III'' that Donald gets "No family discounts!"

* In the Minecraft Let's Play/roleplay series ''[[LetsPlay/StacyPlays Dogcraft]]'', Stacy borrows dozens of treats from Madeleine, the villager running Basil's Barkery, in Episode 81, "The Creeper War". This is done to level all her wolves up to maximum level Creeper Sweeper so that they can fight against the creepers taking over Dogcraft. However, this leaves her in debt with Madeleine, who constantly demanded payment in gold for the treats. [[spoiler:This eventually causes Addison to lead the wolf pack into the Nether to steal gold from the zombie pigmen in order to help Stacy pay back her debt, which leads to... a lot of trouble.]]

* The reason shopkeepers won't give you a discount when you claim to be saving the world is [[http://notalwaysright.com/with-great-retail-power/2528 probably that they've already heard it a dozen times]], as seen on ''Website/NotAlwaysRight''.

*** While less related to the economy, in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'' random people would give you items if you talked to them (this happens much less frequently after you defeat Seymour for the first time, as most of Spira brands your party as traitors), considering you're a summoner and her guardians. It made the stinginess of the shopkeepers more noticeable.

** In ''VideoGame/{{Kingdom Hearts|I}}'' and ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'', Huey, Dewey and Louie don't give a damn that their [[WesternAnimation/DonaldDuck uncle]] is buying and saving the world as we know it, as long as he keeps on coughing up the munny. They even say in the original that Donald gets "No family discounts!"

* ''TabletopGame/DarkHeresy'' takes this trope into WithThisHerring territory; you can be an agent of the Inquisition scrounging for the cheapest weapons in the Imperium. Remember, the Inquisition has life-or-death authority over almost anyone in the Imperium.

-->-- Aboard the ''Fahrenheit'', right before fighting ''a giant guardian dragon'', ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX''

* Similar to the above, a story in ''[[ComicBook/SpiderMan Spider-Man Unlimited]]'' featured the titular webslinger stopping by a take-out restaurant while in costume, where he watched the store owner give a pair of cops their meal for free. After asking if there was a discount for being a member of the Avengers he was informed that for him, everything on the menu was full price.

* Often, the person behind the counter is not the decision-maker who has the ability to grant you a discount. Giving you free things is essentially stealing from their employer.

* How much this trope applies in {{Tabletop RPG}}s tends to fall squarely on the shoulders of the GameMaster. By default, in games that feature them price lists for equipment, services, magic items, physical spell components and so on will be fairly standardized for convenience -- if a longsword costs 10 gold pieces, it costs that everywhere unless the GM specifically says otherwise. (Magic in particular often has the excuse that there's not really anyone to negotiate discounts ''with''. If casting a particular spell requires a ruby of a size and quality normally worth 500 gold pieces, then in a "realistic" economy the actual ruby in question might well cost the caster more or less in terms of raw ''money'' depending on circumstances... but they can't just use a "lesser" substitute.)
** The above clearly talks about ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' and spin-off ''TableTopGame/{{Pathfinder}}''. Other games play this trope in different ways - often by making it so you aren't known or special as a hero.

* ''{{TableTopGames/Continuum}}'' averts this trope. Since the characters are time travelers, it's assumed they are all very wealthy. The Continuum - the main faction of time travelers, assumes you would use time travel to get whatever you need, including money, so they make allowances. Likewise, you can pull the trick seen in ''Film/BillAndTedsBogusJourney'' and simply make equipment appear what you need - by accepting an obligation to in your future take the time to set up the thing you need where you need it. So the protagonists literally can have nearly anything they need whenever they need it. The same applies to skills, with one example mentioning a character finding themselves on a crashing hovercraft, hopping back in time, working to set up a chance to learn to pilot hovercraft, learning those lessons, then jumping back to the time of the crash and saving the day.

* ''TabletopGame/ShadowRun'', as a game of CyberPunk UrbanFantasy, does things similarly to World of Darkness, though as a shadowrunner (an elite mercenary doing some quite shady and deniable covert ops for the mega-corps), you aren't buying the same things as the normal people in the world.

* In ''VideoGame/XMenLegends II'', Beast and Forge will charge their friends for health, energy and powerups. Pretty mercenary, considering that the X-Men and Brotherhood are using these items to defeat Apocalypse. Partly justified in that they accept not money, but "tech bits" (little pieces of AppliedPhlebotinum dropped from enemies and destroyed objects).

* Similar to the above, a story in SpiderManUnlimited featured the titular webslinger stopping by a take out restaurant while in costume, where he watched the store owner give a pair of cops their meal for free. After asking if there was a discount for being a member of the Avengers he was informed that for him, everything on the menu was full price.

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]

* In ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'', John, even though he's the legendary hero of the Land of Wind and Shade, and has proven this time and time again, can only buy Fraymotifs at astronomically exorbitant prices, even though he saved all of the salamanders' lives. This is probably [[JustifiedTrope justified]], because a) the salamanders (being constructs of the Session) are bound to the SBURB mechanics and thus have no choice in the matter and b) Fraymotifs are supposed to be endgame-level powers, [[BeefGate so the ludicrous prices ensure you don't get them too early and further break the game]].

** Averted in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII'', where all transactions are done via the internet, so vendors are not aware of your status as heroes, but even then [[HeroWithBadPublicity as you're characterized as villains for the entirety of the plot]], even if they knew your identity, they'd probably not want to sell to you, let alone give a discount. [[spoiler:Another aversion is that the Fal'Cie control all technology, and are revealed late in the game to be secretly manipulating you in your quest to destroy them ([[ICannotSelfTerminate which they desire]]) but are prevented by their programming from aiding you directly (by lowering prices, presumably). One late game vendor has a message from the Fal'Cie wishing you luck, though!]]

** Averted in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII'', where all transactions are done via the internet, so vendors are not aware of your status as heroes, but even then as you're characterised as villains for the entirety of the plot, even if they knew your identity, they'd probably not want to sell to you, let alone give a discount. [[spoiler:Another aversion is that the Fal'Cie control all technology, and are revealed late in the game to be secretly manipulating you in your quest to destroy them ([[ICannotSelfTerminate which they desire]]) but are prevented by their programming from aiding you directly (by lowering prices, presumably). One late game vendor has a message from the Fal'Cie wishing you luck, though!]]

** Averted in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII'', where all transactions are done via the internet, so vendors are not aware of your status as heroes, but even then as you're characterised as villains for the entirety of the plot, even if they knew your identity, they'd probably not want to sell to you, let alone give a discount. [[spoiler:Another aversion is that the Fal'Cie control all technology, and are revealed late in the game to be secretly manipulating you in your quest to destroy them (which they desire) but are prevented in their programming from aiding you directly (by lowering prices, presumably). One late game vendor has a message from the Fal'Cie wishing you luck, though!]]