I've diaried about this as part of the Frugal Fridays series when I've filled in for Sarahnity, but today I'm revisiting it on my own.
I grew up in Florida, North Florida, and for years lived on a commune. Let's just say no one ever got rich living on a commune. So, I became an expert in subsistance and frugal living. As a single parent, any experience I've had in this area has been sorely tested. Even in the lean times, I've been able to feed and clothe us and keep going.
Anyway, I was shocked when I wrote a diary about haggling and got some very, very nasty responses. I was well and truly shocked. I guess because I've bought 90% of my stuff in alternative or black markets, including consignment shops, discount stores, flea markets, yard sales and the like that I accept haggling as de rigeur and also never assume the price on the tag is the end of the discussion. To me, that seems an elitist's view.
I mean, c'mon, it's a MARKET for Pete's sake. And, if as a good little capitalist I'm not supposed to question the means, the outcome and what I'm willing to part with (what the market will bear) then that isn't exactly a FREE market, is it?
Haggling is like a verbal coupon. I'm not kidding. You'd cut coupons out of a Sunday paper, right? 20% off the entire order at Sears? Yeah, you bet! Well, the flea market doesn't offer coupons. lol Instead, you haggle.
In Europe, and a lot of other countries, its expected behavior. Ever seen one of those comedy routines about the Middle Eastern merchants who won't take the low price? They insist on haggling, and telling you how to do it! lol
Color me surprised, then, to find this article:
http://www.time.com/...
Think you should haggle only when buying a car or shopping in the streets of Morocco? In this recession, if you're not bargaining for everything everywhere, you're needlessly draining your wallet. According to the consulting firm America's Research Group, in October, 56% of consumers said they had recently tried to negotiate at retail outlets other than car dealerships. Of those hagglers, 50% got deals. When the company repeated the survey in May, 72% of consumers said they had tried to haggle, and a stunning 80% were successful. "What you can do today is unbelievable," says Herb Cohen, an expert dealmaker and the author of the 1980 classic You Can Negotiate Anything. "Americans may finally learn that price tags weren't put there by the big printer in the sky."
Thank goodness, it's catching on! See, it's not my obligation to make sure your margins are okay as a consumer. And it's not my responsibility to make sure your people get paid. As a consumer my one goal is to get the most I can for the least outlay, while attempting to preserve quality AND the relationship. That's it. Now, that may be a pain in your ass, but that's part of being in retail, buddy.
And, of course, you're always able to say 'No, there is no further discount.' That doesn't mean it was wrong to ask. Or rude. One never knows, and I don't think it's reasonable for you to expect to profit off of my lack of knowledge.
For some, haggling is a way to survive in a world where the odds are stacked against you. It's not up to the retailer to dictate the terms of the sale. Americans are peculiar in that regard. We often have power, but we rarely execute it, instead preferring to feel victimized by the world out there.
Negotiate everything you can. A lower cable rate, more minutes on your cell, waiving of credit card fees, etc.
And I've spoke to many of previous generations who said haggling was a way of life, for purchases large and small. As we increasingly became a consumer society driven by status, the notion that you couldn't or wouldn't pay retail price became an area of shame. Wasting money became, in and of itself, a status symbol. If you don't believe me, think about spending $120 on lattes at Starbucks...
Some people will never be hagglers, due to personality. That's fine. And if they're happy to pay full retail or wait for a sale, that's fine, too. It's all good. Haggling and hagglers aren't bad, they are part of any marketplace, and are looking out for their own interests as much as the sellers are looking out for theirs.