haggling in shops, would you? have you?

bacon? · 03-05-2009 3:44pm #1

i was trying on a cool jacket the other day, it was €150.

i think it was a combination of, the shop was one of those 2nd had affairs, and i've just done alot of traveling, lots of se asia markets etc...

so, i was thinking, with the state of peoples wallets, would haggling be considered a bit offside?

i cant see it working in, say, river island or the like... but in a small clothes shop... it's prob worth a punt... anyone try it?

xOxSinéadxOx · 03-05-2009 3:47pm

I would definitely go for it in some shops. others you just can't, the people working there wouldn't have the authority to. but in small botiques and the like, yes

bacon? · 03-05-2009 3:48pm

cool... may offer her something for the jacket

mikemac · 03-05-2009 3:51pm

No point in a store like Dunnes, staff just don't have the authority plus they'd probably get fired for doing it.
In a small family owned retail store, go for it!

And if it's an expensive purchase, always do it.
I was buying three different ipods last Christmas. Now they are the same price everywhere but a cheaper price in Newry obviously.
I didn't get any money off but I got a jogging case, a pair of quality earphones and an itunes voucher thrown in.
I guess they didn't want to lose a sale of over 500 euro. We both left happy.

Remember, if you don't ask you won't get......

Lilyblue · 03-05-2009 4:01pm

Personally I would be mortified to ask for a discount.

A lad I work with would ask in any shop including River Island - he got 10% off! Lots of stores give 10% student discounts and can possibly put your discount in with them maybe?

OP I suppose all she can say is no.

Overheal · 03-05-2009 4:03pm

Haggling is an art. Great thing to do in Flea Markets and the like. Usually all it takes it being a little chatty with the shopkeeper.

phasers · 03-05-2009 4:04pm

I get my dad to do it for me

Only on big purchases though, what's the point in getting a couple of euro off a tshirt?

Like I got a really fancy mattress free with my bog standard bed frame, and he got me a car insurance discount and €200 off the actual car

Diabhal Beag · 03-05-2009 4:04pm

I would never haggle in front of other people. It makes ya look like a stingy bastard

My name is URL · 03-05-2009 4:04pm

Sometimes when buying electrical goods I chance it. For instance, I recently bought an iPod Touch and managed to get a stylus pen for it thrown in for free.

Red Alert · 03-05-2009 4:07pm

I'd always do it with electrical goods. In some of the bigger mass-market stores I wouldn't try: though if you've got the supervisor at the till they might. It depends in many cases if the store's off its target for the day they might if they think you won't buy it otherwise.

Overheal · 03-05-2009 4:11pm

^ the best time to shop for electronics and phones and things is on the last day of the month. Its the deadline for the shop to reach its sales quotas. Your odds of getting a deal then go up significantly.

arybvtcw0eolkf · 03-05-2009 4:13pm

Like RED ALERT (above) I'll always haggle in electrical stores and have had some brilliant discounts.

mikemac · 03-05-2009 4:13pm

Red Alert wrote: »

It depends in many cases if the store's off its target for the day they might if they think you won't buy it otherwise.

I don't know if it's true but possibly you might get better succuss with your haggling if you try it at month end or even quarter end, especially for major purchases.

bnagrrl · 03-05-2009 4:16pm

I've done it in markets and the like and in shops where I'm making a big purchase (jewellery, electronics etc).

O'Coonassa · 03-05-2009 4:24pm

Always HAVE TO haggle lol

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3n3LL338aGA

Lollipops23 · 03-05-2009 4:24pm

i was in work last week, serving a lady and her young daughter, had been catering to their every whim but didn't mind at all as they seemed nice. as soon as the woman made her choice of clothes she turned around with a totally different facial expresion and demanded a discount for paying cash....i said i couldn't do that and she didn't even let me get the words out, telling me that everyone can give discounts of they want to. i rang a manager who told me certainly not. in the end she paid for the stuff with Visa, but i was shocked at her manner, it wasn't simply chancing her arm but demanding i give her a discount for paying cash when in reality i don't give a hoot how she pays!!it wasn't even a big sale!

Donny5 · 03-05-2009 4:25pm

Little Shyte wrote: »

I would never haggle in front of other people. It makes ya look like a stingy bastard

Who gives an amount of excrement what someone else thinks, especially when it's some eejit who pays more than they need to.

O'Coonassa · 03-05-2009 4:27pm

Lollipops23 wrote: »

everyone can give discounts of they want to.

She's right IMO.

M450 · 03-05-2009 4:33pm

Lollipops23 wrote: »

i was in work last week, serving a lady and her young daughter, had been catering to their every whim but didn't mind at all as they seemed nice. as soon as the woman made her choice of clothes she turned around with a totally different facial expresion and demanded a discount for paying cash....i said i couldn't do that and she didn't even let me get the words out, telling me that everyone can give discounts of they want to. i rang a manager who told me certainly not. in the end she paid for the stuff with Visa, but i was shocked at her manner, it wasn't simply chancing her arm but demanding i give her a discount for paying cash when in reality i don't give a hoot how she pays!!it wasn't even a big sale!

Yeah I worked in Elverys for quite a while and the amount of people who look for discounts is amazing. The truth is that I do have the ability to discount the purchase for whatever reason I see fit, but I don't have the authority to do so... so I'm not going to!

It's hilarious when people get angry and demand to see the manager. Every time that happened to me, which was quite a few times, the manager would come over and practically laugh at them...

...then one of my mates would come in and I'd throw him a staff discount!

mikemac · 03-05-2009 4:37pm

O'Coonassa wrote: »

She's right IMO.

Yes, but you need to ask for a manager first.
There is no point berating some poor teenager on minimum wage about discounts as often happens.
They can't give discounts. Sure in Dunnes, only a manager can void an item to take it even further

Definitely ask for discounts but ask the right person

Morzadec · 03-05-2009 4:38pm

I work in a bookshop and i have to say its pretty annoying when people try to haggle. The prices are set there and that's it. I'm just a lowly part-timer there's no way i have the authority to change prices. In fact no one in the shop do really they're all set by head office.

It's happening a lot more now, people trying to haggle, or people complaining about sterling conversion rates, or that something is a ripoff. I usually just nod my head and agree with them - some of the stuff in our shop is a rip-off but if you think its a rip-off just don't buy it don't start moaning...

Had some old lad in the other day who kept saying 'cmon we'll do a deal, we'll do a deal'. I kept telling him the price and he seemed so confused that i wasn't taking anything off the books. He seemed to think I was just playing hardball. After a while he gave in, and goes to my workmate 'jesus they must be paying you well here :rolleyes:'.

I go 'nope not really, minimum wage'.

He goes 'minimum wage me arse!'

Lollipops23 · 03-05-2009 4:40pm

she's not.i don't have authority to give discounts unless there's something wrong with it(ripped/stained etc) the manager would also need to be able to justify giving it in the unlikely event of being quizzed by superiors, even they can't give discounts willy nilly.and paying cash doesn't save us hassle, to process a credit card sale costs us less than a quid.

My name is URL · 03-05-2009 4:41pm

[off-topic]

lol, if you google 'haggle is shops' this thread is the top search result, already!

[/off-topic]

TheZohanS · 03-05-2009 4:48pm

M450 wrote: »

Every time that happened to me, which was quite a few times, the manager would come over and practically laugh at them...

...then one of my mates would come in and I'd throw him a staff discount!

You'll see who has the last laugh when the consumer votes with their feet.

It won't be the laughing manager, they'll be on the dole.

Overheal · 03-05-2009 4:52pm

Lollipops23 wrote: »

i was in work last week, serving a lady and her young daughter, had been catering to their every whim but didn't mind at all as they seemed nice. as soon as the woman made her choice of clothes she turned around with a totally different facial expresion and demanded a discount for paying cash....i said i couldn't do that and she didn't even let me get the words out, telling me that everyone can give discounts of they want to. i rang a manager who told me certainly not. in the end she paid for the stuff with Visa, but i was shocked at her manner, it wasn't simply chancing her arm but demanding i give her a discount for paying cash when in reality i don't give a hoot how she pays!!it wasn't even a big sale!

"Ma'am, its a brazier. Not a Honda."

bacon? · 03-05-2009 4:55pm

My name is URL wrote: »

[off-topic]

lol, if you google 'haggle is shops' this thread is the top search result, already!

[/off-topic]

ha ha.

i've worked in shops, many years ago, and would never try and haggle with anyone but the manager or owner....

i had a feeling the woman in the 2nd hand shop owned the place... so i might head back in with 2 crisp 50's and say, g'won, can we do a deal

phasers · 03-05-2009 5:00pm

bacon? wrote: »

i had a feeling the woman in the 2nd hand shop owned the place... so i might head back in with 2 crisp 50's and say, g'won, can we do a deal

wait, so the firmness of the cash matters in haggling? I'll never be able to keep up with this world

03-05-2009 5:55pm

I think it works in certain shop..not the big chain shops but in smaller shops or sometime its better to ask for something extra with your purchases...asking for a shirt or t-shirt free with a jacket

i have 6 brothers and sisters and when we were kids my mother always asked for a discount in Clark's shoe shop when we were being kited out for school ... we were mortified when she did this but she always got a discount

bacon? · 03-05-2009 5:59pm

phasers wrote: »

wait, so the firmness of the cash matters in haggling? I'll never be able to keep up with this world

yep, the crisper the better, so you can still smell the ink... then wave it under their nose a couple of times, drives em mental so it does

bacon? · 03-05-2009 6:02pm

mariaalice wrote: »

I think it works in certain shop..not the big chain shops but in smaller shops or sometime its better to ask for something extra with your purchases...asking for a shirt or t-shirt free with a jacket

i have 6 brothers and sisters and when we were kids my mother always asked for a discount in Clark's shoe shop when we were being kited out for school ... we were mortified when she did this but she always got a discount

ye, my ma did this as well.. bit embarassing alright... was never very subtle... there was always people around... i think it's best to do it when the shops a bit empty

Corruptedmorals · 03-05-2009 9:03pm

O'Coonassa wrote: »

She's right IMO.

No, not in big high street stores and department stores. Not only do you need a manager but they're going to say no unless it's faulty, and even then the system is checked to see if there's another in the size.

A lot of places have dropped their prices anyway, or at least have offers of 10/20% off all stock, things like that. I've never actually come across this in the shop I work in, not many would ask for a discount in Dunnes I suppose.

haggling in shops, would you? have you?

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