How to haggle!

A question about : How to haggle!

I have just started to read Martin's book and i'm upto the chapter how to haggle. I loved peoples tips but i just dont have the cofidence, anymore tips?

Best answers:

• : I followed Martin's tips on haggling in Debenhams.
  I purchased a set of suit cases and just asked if they could give me a better price. 10% (Ј28) was knocked off immediatly, not even having to seek permision from a supervisor
• Ask for more than you want
  for e.g. if you want 10% off ask for 20% etc... they will always beat you down and you still get waht you want. ;D
• If you are a regular customer tell them you are and ask for a loyalty discount.
  Had used a particular carpet shop for most of my carpeting. Asked for a discount when ordering carpet, pointing out from their customer records my loyalty. Got Ј70 knocked off the price. Felt quite chuffed.
• If you go to a computer fair a good time to haggle is just before they are closing up for the day. Rather than go when it first opens at 10am, stroll in at 2pm and strike some great deals. I'm sure more times than not they will want to get rid of stock rather than carrying it back to the car and then back into storage.
• The best advice I can give is ... be prepared for a "no"! If you can't face being told "no" then there is no point in trying as it will only knock your confidence even further.
  However, if you are prepared to pay ЈX in the first instance, then decide to haggle for the cheek of it (fully prepared for the "no&quot you can only BENEFIT if they give you a discount.
  Some of the benefits/bonus' I have secured along the way are:-
  Le Crueset pans used as a display on the cooker I bought - FREE!
  40 piece microwave dishes - FREE - when I bought .... (nope, not a microwave ) a fridge freezer!!!!
  Free voile curtains when I bought some new lounge curtains.
  Free rug when I recarpeted my lounge.
  Generally, I believe 10% is the average "haggle" allowance ... but I have been pleasantly surprised how variable this can be.
  Take a deep breath, be prepared for a "no", and think of it as a cheeky game
  Best of British
• I always ask for discount especially in jewellers and when buying electrical items.I always get at least 10%.I bought a bed last week and managed to get them to throw in a Ј60 duvet set at the same time!!.
  My husband needed new glasses and we got a quote from Boots and then went into vision express and they price matched-save Ј60 from their original quote.!!!I love haggling.When we go and buy a new car I love it.My husband hardly says a word and we're there for 2 hours or so haggling over the price.I start off with a really silly offer and then at the end after i've managed to get them to tax it,I ask for a full tank of petrol aswell.I think I've just got a cheeky smile!!!!
• I'm not keen on haggling either, and I've read the chapter you mentioned.
  The one time I did haggle successfully I asked (as suggested in the book), someone that looked like he was a floor manager, or higher, if there was any discount for cash on a suite I'd spotted in Debenhams.
  I was amazed when he let me have it with about 500 quid knocked off!
  But it does knock you back a bit when someone refuses point blank to even think about reducing a price.
  And like the poster above, I asked for discount for cash on a Gucci watch (not for me by the way), and saved about 10%. Result!
  Just do it. What's the worst that can happen? They say no and lose a probable sale?
  Good luck
• I tried to haggle today with Green Flag but got nowhere...
  I guess until you keep trying you'll never gain confidence - think will have this as a late addition to my New Year Resolutions - always haggle!
• As a self employed retailer, I do get haggled almost every trading day. Ive become wise to these tactics as I worked out on a good day I was giving discounts of up to Ј100, thats money out of my pocket to feed my family.
  Ive no problem with hagglers, I just believe there should be rules to adhere to, ie only haggle stores/people who can afford to drop the price lower and pay the asking price on products sold by people working hard trying to make a living to survive, ie market traders.
  After all there is a reason the price is as it is.
• It's really simple. 1st, only talk to the person you think is in charge/owns the store. 2nd, just say (with item in hand) "Look, I know this is priced at Јx.xx, but it's really more than I expected/budgeted/had hoped (choose your own words) to pay. What's really the best price you can do?"
  This method will not get you the most discount, but will almost always get something off. It's non-confrontational - the seller can always say "Sorry, that's the price".
  If they do stick to the price, then depending on what it is you are buying, before you approach them, always have in mind another either related or cheap product they sell. E.g., you're buying a microwave - they say the price is the price - you say "OK, I understand - -but how about including that cheap kettle/toaster/etc? Make sure the item you want them to include is a basic model - chances are they have 100's, and have paid next to nothing for them. In an emergency, just ask for a set of free batteries if your purchase is battery powered.
  Then, just always do this - practice makes perfect. You may feel uncomfortable the first few times, but it will soon come us second nature. I've always found being nice and smiling a lot goes a long way.
  Finally, there are a few specialist places that offer first class service and are in business more as a hobby than to make money - here, don't even bother to ask, as you'll both feel bad.
• This here might be of interest.This Is Money Article.
• Managed my first successful haggle the other day - went to get my son a toy garage in Sainsbury's - reduced from Ј9.99 to Ј7.50 in sale, but there was only one on the shelf and the box was battered. So I took it to customer services and said "how about a bit extra off, then?", and they reduced it to Ј6. Not a major discount, granted, but I was proud.
  Unfortunately, when I got it home, it transpired that not only the box was battered - the garage was too. Bits were broken, and loads of stuff was missing. They offered to exchange it when I took it back (for the Ј6 price), but of course it had been the last one so I had to make do with a refund...
  Hopefully this won't be the peak of my haggling glory!
• I love haggling, and I've learned a lot from my friend who is the cheekiest bloke I've ever met. He haggles in the cinema over the price of soft drinks!
  Nobody should be worried about being 'confrontational' or upsetting someone in the shop because it's business, not personal. Tell them what you want and if they won't or can't do it then you should walk away and go to the next shop.
  I open with; "I want this product but I don't want to pay that price". You'll then know straight away if you can get anywhere or not. Unfortunately, I have never had any success haggling over prices in Argos.
• See Im good at haggling depending on what shop it is. If its a guitar shop then I usually ask for discounts for cash.. then when they give me a good offer I pretend to mull it over.. then say.. ok Ill take it if you throw in a few sets of strings (worth a further Ј15)
  Id never haggle in a shop like john lewis though.. I mean do the staff really know how to give discounts? I pose you have to approach the senior staff members.
  Im earger to try out the tactic of saying Can I have that tv (worth 500 quid for example) for the price of that model (the cheaper Ј450 quid model for example). Ive heard thats a good way of getting stuff cheaper. But then again I shop online most of the time!
• im just wondering what sort of places canu haggle tho, like you say places like argos and big department stores have set prices and most of the time the till staff are kids?? could anyone list places where they reckon are suitable for haggling?