The 10% Discount Challenge
Ask for a 10% discount at the coffee shop to train your rejection muscle.
- Difficulty
- Starter
- Time to result
- ~days to results
- Steps
- 4
- Confidence
- 92%
The 10% Discount Challenge is a deliberately awkward exercise: walk into a coffee shop and, with a straight face, ask for a 10% discount for no reason. Altucher's point is that asking for things and handling rejection are two important muscles most people never exercise. The barista will usually say no, and that's the point — you're practicing the rejection muscle and the asking muscle in a low-stakes setting. Entrepreneurs face awkward, rejection-filled situations constantly, so rehearsing awkwardness on a $7 coffee builds the resilience you'll need for bigger asks.
Origin
Altucher gives this as his closing actionable tip on the podcast. He ties it to his own awkward moments — like being laughed out of an office pitching a website for Tupac's posthumous album because he couldn't turn on an IBM PC, having only used a Macintosh.
Core principles
- 01Asking for things and handling rejection are muscles most people never exercise.
- 02A low-stakes ask (a coffee discount) is a safe rep for high-stakes asking.
- 03Give no reason — the point is the ask itself, not a justification.
- 04Practicing awkwardness prepares you for the constant awkwardness of entrepreneurship.
How to run it
- 1
Go to a coffee shop
Pick a coffee place, ideally a chain like Starbucks where the staff have less discretion, and order as normal.
- 2
Ask for 10% off with a straight face
Calmly ask, 'Can I have a 10% discount please?' You'll be nervous the first time; do it anyway.
- 3
Give no reason
When they ask why, say 'no reason, I'd just really like a 10% discount today.' Refusing to justify is part of the exercise.
- 4
Absorb the rejection
They'll usually say no, sometimes after checking with a manager. Treat the 'no' as a successful rep of your rejection muscle.
Pro tip Repeat regularly — asking for help and asking for what you want are muscles most people never build.
In the wild
Altucher instructs the host to go to Starbucks right after the podcast, order coffee, and ask for a 10% discount with a straight face, giving no reason.
→ They'll usually say no, but the exercise trains the asking and rejection muscles for higher-stakes situations.
Pitching a website for Tupac's posthumous album, Altucher — a supposed computer expert — couldn't even turn on the office's IBM PC because he only knew Macintosh, and was laughed out of the office.
→ He learned that awkward, rejection-filled situations happen to entrepreneurs constantly, making the discount challenge a valuable rehearsal.
Common mistakes
Giving a reason for the ask
Justifying the request softens it and defeats the purpose; the exercise is about asking cleanly and tolerating the discomfort.
Avoiding the awkwardness entirely
Never practicing low-stakes asks leaves the asking and rejection muscles weak for the high-stakes moments that matter.
Is it for you?
Best for
Entrepreneurs and anyone who freezes up when asking for things or facing rejection.
Not ideal for
Contexts where an unreasonable ask would damage an important relationship.
From the transcript
“just say with a straight face can I have a 10% discount please... this is how you practice the rejection muscle”
“these are two important muscles that most people don't exercise asking for things asking for help”
From the episode
James Altucher: Debunking the 10,000-Hour Myth, How to Master Any Skill
James Altucher