Discounts/small businesses

Okay - so as we all know the Covid shutdowns last year affected everyone from small businesses to schools to tourist town landlords who couldn’t get their properties rented out and lost income

So with that being said - do you think it’s appropriate to ask a small business to discount you to counteract price increases elsewhere?

My own personal example:

I run a small business (pet care company). I do everything from daily walks to sitting jobs. Had a client who would use my services pre Covid for 1-2 nights here and there for small getaways. Covid hit, as expected, the small getaways took a backseat. About two months ago he texts me about another small weekend, I do the job no problem.

A few nights ago- he texts me asking if I offer any “specials or deals” for week long jobs. I say no, everything is charged per visit, and that it’s ultimately up to the client how many visits and how long per visit they think their pets need. I have set prices per visit based on length of the visit. I also explain that I’m now 8 months pregnant and will be taking leave shortly for a brief time.

So he proceeds to tell me they’re going away for a week in less than two weeks but the price of their annual rental doubled and he can’t afford to pay my rates .. but still wanted me to take the job.

I ultimately kept it professional but told him no, that not only can I not offer him a discount when he wants 8 days straight of my time but that it’s too close to my due date for me to commit to that long of a job.

I also want to add my prices have not changed in two years. He’s known and paid my same rates for two years.

But it got me thinking - are consumers expecting discounts now more than prior years in order to get society back up and open? Should it be expected that businesses cut deals here and there to help with that since many people lost income during that?

I personally wanted to tell him to kick rocks but I know I’m only seeing it from the small business owner side and not the customer side.