Has anyone haggled before...?

[Maz]

...I mean in a UK high street shop...for a TV (for example - yes, I'm after that LCD TV).

If you have, what tack do you use? Do you come straight out with it and say "what's your best offer on this TV?". How do you go about it exactly?

I'm tempted to try it on. Maybe the guys in the shop are primed up to offer a set % discount on an item in the event a customer should be ballsy enough to ask for a discount. If so, I'd at least get that much off.

What do you reckon? Is anyone a hardened pro' at this game?

Thanks

 

[Keith Oates]

Tell him it's too much money and you will look elsewhere then walk towards the door. If he calls you back you're in with a chance if he stays quiet, keep walking!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Abitrary]

Always haggle with their 'web only' prices in mind. They usually do it for you when they see you walking away.

 

[Melvil]

Yes. In high street shops it works about 50% of the time but for independent traders nearly 100% of the time.

Thing about the high street is, right, they can't usually lower the price as they're not allowed. However, they usually can throw in extras at half the price/free and that's what you can haggle about. E.G. for a TV you would say, 'ok, I'm going to spend XXX on this TV, can you throw in those speakers over there for free / half price?'

That's the way to do it.

Usually, with independent traders you have a lot more leeway though one thing you have to be very leery about is taking the mickey and being unrealistic. It usually only works on high value goods, too. I see people going into independent record shops and saying 'yeh, but Virgin are offering this for £4 and you've got it for £5' - (rant FFS, that is the way to kill independent retailing for good /rant)

My most interesting haggle came when my girlfriend and I went to a punk tailors and bought a few things. I asked for a little bit off the price as the few things were rather expensive. He said 'sure, I'll take £20 off', then looked into my eyes and said in all seriousness, 'but only if I can make love to your girlfriend.'

Now that was an interesting shop moment!

 

[gbb]

Always haggle with their 'web only' prices in mind. They usually do it for you when they see you walking away.

Arbitrary's right..try to find the same item on the net...most high street retailers will honour their web based deals in store...but only theirs, not someone elses.

 

[Twenty Inch]

Always haggle in chain stores on large purchase, but you need to do your research. i.e. find out how much online, in the competition etc. Then either ask them for a discount - "what's your best price?" or bid them i.e. "Argos have it at £xxx - can you match that?"

Bear in mind Currys and Dixons are owned by the same group, so don't use them to haggle with each other.

I've had reductions on washing machines, DVD players, walking kit, shoes.

I tend not to haggle with people's time - bike and car mechanics particularly. That's mostly because I do my own spannering, so if I've taken it to a mechanic then it's because I need their skill.

 

[Abitrary]

Arbitrary's right..try to find the same item on the net...most high street retailers will honour their web based deals in store...but only theirs, not someone elses.

With electricals, most big retailers will beat anyone in a certain radius. If they do it for their own web deals, and competitor's high street prices, then they might do it for their high street competitor's web prices too.

I guess it depends if you want to put this much time in effort into blagging a cheap toaster for example.

 

[Fnaar]

I'm just too nice. I can't imagine myself saying "best offer". I'd have to do it "method acting" style, by living like a person who haggles for a week, to get myself in the zone.

 

[Melvil]

There was an eccentric guy in my hometown when I was growing up who was famous for grabbing an item he wished to buy, smashing it or (if it was clothing) stamping on it and then marching up to the shop assistant and demanding a discount for 'shop-soiled' goods! Surprisingly enough he got away with it for the first few times...

 

[bonj2]

If you want to get a discount, the best way is not to pick a specific product. Know what type of thing you're after, but then let the salesman be somewhat influential in the choosing. If you go in and pick something, then ask for discounts, you may, unbeknown to you, have just picked one of their best selling lines that's doing very well thank you at full RRP. If you go in with a range of products in mind, however, and say something like "have you got any special offers on [x]" then they're more likely to be able to dig out one that they wouldn't have thought of reducing but that thinking about it they want to sell off because it's not doing very well. If it then becomes obvious that they have come up with such a low-volume line, or have produced an ex-display/unboxed item, you are then in a perfect position to haggle, but let them do the work for you - ask what they'll offer it to you for, rather than tell them what you want to pay for it.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

I tend not to haggle with people's time - bike and car mechanics particularly. That's mostly because I do my own spannering, so if I've taken it to a mechanic then it's because I need their skill.

Good rule. That's how I do it. I also don't tend to haggle in small independent shops, as I think they need all the help they can get. Usually my LBS knocks something off the price for me without me asking anyway.

 

[col]

The last camera i bought was from jessops,a friend of mine told me to take a print out of the same camera,and its price on a web site,i got £20 knocked off,and a free sd card too.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

I bought my first serious digital camera from Jessop's. It seemed only fair as I'd spent the best part of a week living in their Wolverhampton shop asking them for advice and trying out all sorts of different cameras.
My second serious digital camera came from the interweb, at nearly £500 less than the RRP.

 

[col]

I bought my first serious digital camera from Jessop's. It seemed only fair as I'd spent the best part of a week living in their Wolverhampton shop asking them for advice and trying out all sorts of different cameras.
My second serious digital camera came from the interweb, at nearly £500 less than the RRP.

My mate ,who is into photography in a big way,buys his stuff on line too.Funnily enough the last digi slr he bought,he also saved about that on the shop price.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

Yes, it's worth shopping around on the web. I don't think I'd buy anything "big" at full price in a high street chain now.