Serious question: why do people treat the first salary number like it's carved in stone?
I watched a friend accept a $52,000 offer in Cincinnati last spring without asking for a single thing, and then she found out the guy hired next to her got $58,000 for the same job. When I asked why she didn't push back, she said the recruiter's tone made it feel like the number was final. That is the part people get wrong, because most companies build in room and expect you to ask at least once. I have seen it work when you just say the number feels low and ask if there is any flex. Has anyone here actually been told no when they asked once, politely, with a real reason?
The one correction I would make is that not every company builds in room, and some really do post the top of the range up front. But the bigger point stands, because you can't know which kind you are dealing with until you ask, and asking once costs nothing. A polite no is still useful information.