More of us should haggle in the shops

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Bigtallfatbloke

New Member
It's ridiculous imho that shops expect us to pay whatever they ask for goods. It's kind of a take it or leave it mentallity, and I find myself leaving it more & more these days. Why shouldnt we haggle? Why don't we?
 

Tetedelacourse

New Member
Location
Rosyth
I can't stand haggling. If I think something is worth its price I'll buy it. If I don't, I wont.*

Admittedly this has probably cost me a lot of money but ultimately I don't like doing it.

*with the exception of charity shops, in principle.
 

mondobongo

Über Member
As a nation we are not hagglers, we complain about prices but invariably pay the asking price. I would imagine that a large amount of people ask for discount or a better price and on being told no simply shell out the cash. It takes a lot of discipline to walk out of the shop without the desired goods.
 

Arch

Married to Night Train
Location
Salford, UK
Bigtallfatbloke said:
It's ridiculous imho that shops expect us to pay whatever they ask for goods. It's kind of a take it or leave it mentallity, and I find myself leaving it more & more these days. Why shouldnt we haggle? Why don't we?

Well, as someone who worked in a shop for 12 years (albeit a supermarket, not an electricals or anything like that), I'd get pretty pissed off with people haggling. I was low paid enough as it was, without having to haggle over stuff (and of course, I would never have had the 'power' to do so, as a lowly assistant.)

As far as I can see from TV shows, the things you can haggle over are usually non-essentials anyway, so you can just as well do without them.
 
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Bigtallfatbloke

Bigtallfatbloke

New Member
we haggle over car prices...white goods etc...so why not food etc. I never pay the asking price on any of my guitars or recording gear...I always haggle/demand a discount
 

barq

Senior Member
Location
Birmingham, UK
I used to work in electrical retail (mobile phones in particular) and haggling became quite common because all the shops offered freebies, rebates and other special offers. So this rather instilled the idea that the customer should never pay full price. To be honest we couldn't go much further on the discount than we were already offering. The margins look huge, but the costs of running a shop are really high, not to mention that a reasonable percentage of the shop floor stock seemed to 'vanish'.

In my experience you are most likely to negotiate a small discount if you state quite simply that you will buy the product on the spot if they throw in xyz for free, otherwise you are going to take a look elsewhere. Throwing in freebies or reduced priced extras is normally easier than actual cash discounts off the product so keep that in mind.

Also, don't ever be rude! While it is true that shops don't survive without their customers, don't get an overly inflated sense of your own worth. As an individual you aren't going to bring Dixons to its knees by not buying that cordless phone. :tongue:
 

domtyler

Über Member
Isn't this what the internet is for? If I am going to buy something, I research it on the net and shop around for the best price. It is therefore in each retailers own interest to offer the cheapest price.
 
Arch said:
I'd get pretty pissed off with people haggling. I was low paid enough as it was, without having to haggle over stuff

It's not much fun with someone going to the wire over a tin of beans.
 
On consumer goods, durables etc. I will always haggle. Sometimes I ask whether there's a sale coming up, can they do anything on the price, other times I'll go straight in and bid them "Argos has this washing machine for £50 cheaper - can you match that?"

I nearly always get a discount, sometimes significant, sometimes token. Sometimes they'll throw in a freebie too.

I don't haggle on labour costs though - I know that if a mechanic has spent 20 years learning his trade, he's not going to drop his labour cost. FOr this reason I do all my own spannering on my car, and on my bike.
 

rich p

ridiculous old lush
Location
Brighton
Too much haggling will kill off what's left of independent shops. The small shop retail trade is under massive pressure these days and many are struggling to survive tyhe onslaught of cheap foreign imports, the internet etc. Haggle too much and you'll end up with a homogenous High Street and nowhere to try products before you go and buy them cheaper online.LBS's are a prime example of this struggle.
 

domtyler

Über Member
rich p said:
Too much haggling will kill off what's left of independent shops. The small shop retail trade is under massive pressure these days and many are struggling to survive tyhe onslaught of cheap foreign imports, the internet etc. Haggle too much and you'll end up with a homogenous High Street and nowhere to try products before you go and buy them cheaper online.LBS's are a prime example of this struggle.

You want us to feel sorry for the retailers and pay massively inflated prices so they can feather their nests/drive their Mercs?

I think you need to take a reality check mate.
 

rich p

ridiculous old lush
Location
Brighton
What a laugh!!! I work in the small shop trade in Brighton and the vast majority are struggling to keep their heads above water. The rents and rates are crippling, waste disposal is a costly business, utility charges are higher than domestic charges etc. There are precious few Mercedes around!
I didn't ask you to feel sorry for them' I merely pointed out that you should beware what you wish for as the consequences may not be desirable.
 

barq

Senior Member
Location
Birmingham, UK
rich p said:
Haggle too much and you'll end up with a homogenous High Street and nowhere to try products before you go and buy them cheaper online.LBS's are a prime example of this struggle.

Well I wouldn't push an LBS the same way I'd push Evans.
 

rich p

ridiculous old lush
Location
Brighton
barq said:
Well I wouldn't push an LBS the same way I'd push Evans.


Exactly. People push the small retailer because they know that the shops making big profits like Evans, Tescos, Macdonalds etc won't give you any discounts.
 
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