Christmas Stalls Henry Street- any problems?

laura*

I was shopping in town with my friend today, when a hat caught my eye. I asked the woman could I get a little off to which she replied 'You're not in China'

So we left and tried another, for the same cap, my friend found one too so I asked the man if he could do a little off if we bought two, he laughed and said [B]'You must be joking'[/B]

Now they were 5e each, so I wasn't expecting much, I just thought the whole point in them not being shops is you could haggle and get deals etc. He also said 'You've hit rock bottom for that price' and when my friend asked did he have a mirror she could see the hat on with, he said 'No but if you were looking at at 20e hat, I could get ya a mirror!'

I was shocked at their rude attitudes, they're supposed to be sales people, and I feel bad for tourists who are here for Xmas and have to deal with that. No need for it.

Has anyone else experienced this?

Gae

laura* wrote: »

I was shocked at their rude attitudes, they're supposed to be sales people, and I feel bad for tourists who are here for Xmas and have to deal with that. No need for it.

I wouldn't really give them that title...

laura*

Gae wrote: »

I wouldn't really give them that title...

well i suppose so lol

John Mason

the hat was a €5 and you wanted to haggle

we have haggled in nearly every jeweller in the city but to haggle for a €5 hat is unbelievable

Tell me how much profit do you think the sells man is making from the €5 hat?

I have heard it all now - haggling over a €5 hat.

are you a celtic cub by any chance?

who the fug

irishbird wrote: »

the hat was a €5 and you wanted to haggle

we have haggled in nearly every jeweller in the city but to haggle for a €5 hat is unbelievable

Tell me how much profit do you think the sells man is making from the €5 hat?

I have heard it all now - haggling over a €5 hat

Once spent hour and half haggling with a an Egyptian got him down from Egyptian pounds 10 to 5.

in my defense there was fug all else to do in arse hole of the world that is Port Said

laura*

irishbird wrote: »

the hat was a €5 and you wanted to haggle

as I said wasn't expecting much, said if I get two,could I get a little off, I just presumed that's what stalls were for,
definitely not now!

not even wrong

laura* wrote: »

So we left and tried another, for the same cap, my friend found one too so I asked the man if he could do a little off if we bought two, he laughed and said 'You must be joking'

Now they were 5e each, so I wasn't expecting much, I just thought the whole point in them not being shops is you could haggle and get deals etc. He also said 'You've hit rock bottom for that price' and when my friend asked did he have a mirror she could see the hat on with, he said 'No but if you were looking at at 20e hat, I could get ya a mirror!'

I was shocked at their rude attitudes

None of the statements you bolded are rude. You must have led a very sheltered life...

AnonoBoy

To be honest if he had a mirror he should have let you look at it. But trying to haggle on a 5 euro hat is a bit scabby to be honest. It's 5 euro - what's he going to do, give it to you for 4.90?

admiralofthefleet

the people on the stalls are the kids of market traders. having a razor sharp tongue is part of their wit and make up
banter back with them and you will get along just fine

ntlbell

They sound pretty funny to me and probably were just taken the piss out of your frugality

laura*

not even wrong wrote: »

None of the statements you bolded are rude. You must have led a very sheltered life...

They had an attitude, both of us felt it.

laura*

ntlbell wrote: »

They sound pretty funny to me and probably were just taken the piss out of your frugality

I would have had a laugh, but they were having none of it from the get go!

John Mason

laura* wrote: »

I would have had a laugh, but they were having none of it from the get go!

well seriously, could you blame them ? you were trying to haggle over e5:eek:

Ste.phen

irishbird wrote: »

Tell me how much profit do you think the sells man is making from the €5 hat?

Depending on the hat, could be 4.50 profit or more:
First example i saw:
http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/275086207/Knitted_Hat_For_2012.html

US $0.35 each at large order sizes

RobbieTheRobber

Ste.phen wrote: »

Depending on the hat, could be 4.50 profit or more:
First example i saw:
http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/275086207/Knitted_Hat_For_2012.html

US $0.35 each at large order sizes

Plus vat and plus customs duty as well.
Add the price of the stall paid to the council for the year and finally add the hours required to said stall person to sell the hats.

They are really looking to make a living and its not quite as simple as buy 1500 hats at 35cent(us) = profit

stovelid

If I had a stall selling stuff for perfectly cheap prices and a small window of time each year to make money and some skinflint wanted to stand around haggling over a few quid, I'd say a lot worse than they did.

HivemindXX

Surely it's more celtic tiger to simply pay up whatever the asking price is.

I assume everyone who is saying the €5 hat was a good deal has actually seen them because in my experience the stuff off the stalls is often dodgy quality / seconds and whatever the chance of getting a discount you have no chance of getting your money back if the item turns out to be defective.

I'm with the OP. I'd expect to be able to haggle at a market stall, if you can't haggle there then where they hell can you. A smart stall holder will offer you something to keep the dialog going rather than shutting it down. Even if it's practically nothing like "tell you what if you buy two I'll thrown in this (10c) packet of jellies for free". For some reason practically everything I order from Germany seems to have tiny bags of Haribo thrown in the box as a thank you.

Nodster

a smart stallholder would've offered two hats for €9

laura*

HivemindXX wrote: »

Surely

I'm with the OP. I'd expect to be able to haggle at a market stall, if you can't haggle there then where they hell can you. A smart stall holder will offer you something to keep the dialog going rather than shutting it down. Even if it's practically nothing like "tell you what if you buy two I'll thrown in this (10c) packet of jellies for free". For some reason practically everything I order from Germany seems to have tiny bags of Haribo thrown in the box as a thank you.

Thanks!
Exactly my point, if you can't haggle at a stall where can you?
Price set aside, thats what I meant.

laura*

plus id like to add that any good sales person should know that if they're polite and just plain nice to a customer its very likely they'll buy more. I easily could have picked up a few more bits.

ntlbell

laura* wrote: »

plus id like to add that any good sales person should know that if they're polite and just plain nice to a customer its very likely they'll buy more. I easily could have picked up a few more bits.

They're not "sales" people.

The stuff on the stalls sell themselves people go their for a reason.

stop whinging about it.

mattjack

laura* wrote: »

plus id like to add that any good sales person should know that if they're polite and just plain nice to a customer its very likely they'll buy more. I easily could have picked up a few more bits.

Like a third hat ?

Degsy

laura* wrote: »

Exactly my point, if you can't haggle at a stall where can you?

Try haggling in a pub over the price of a 5 euro pint..let me know how you get on.

tfitzgerald

Nodster wrote: »

a smart stallholder would've offered two hats for €9

Spot on

reprazant

People giving out to the OP for daring to haggle :pac: God, how dare she attempt to get something cheaper.

I'm with you OP, but the stall are only there a bit. Wait close to christmas when they begin to get desperate to sell their stuff. They will be more than willing to haggle then.

This thread seems to populated with lots of Mary Harney's.

stovelid

Nodster wrote: »

a smart stallholder would've offered two hats for €9

A less patient stallholder would have said "Fuck off love, this isn't Morocco. Now if you don't mind, I've got paying customers to serve".

reprazant

Degsy wrote: »

Try haggling in a pub over the price of a 5 euro pint..let me know how you get on.

Try haggling with the stalls on Moore Street.

Weirdly, it works.

MrStuffins

I don't see why people are calling the OP scabby for haggling. If she can get a discount she can get a discount. Since when is saving money a bad thing?

I love haggling. Last year I was looking at a €10 hat and was asking for a discount. They were having none of it.

"€9"

"No way, it's a tenner"

"€9 buddy come on i'll give it to you now"

"No it's a tenner."

"What if I buy 2?"

"Then it'll be €20"


After about 15 mins he finally decided to give me both hats for €18.

I gave him €20 and told him to keep the change!

mattjack

MrStuffins wrote: »

I don't see why people are calling the OP scabby for haggling. If she can get a discount she can get a discount. Since when is saving money a bad thing?

I love haggling. Last year I was looking at a €10 hat and was asking for a discount. They were having none of it.

"€9"

"No way, it's a tenner"

"€9 buddy come on i'll give it to you now"

"No it's a tenner."

"What if I buy 2?"

"Then it'll be €20"


After about 15 mins he finally decided to give me both hats for €18.

I gave him €20 and told him to keep the change!

After 15 mins I'd have given you 20 euro to fcuk off

MrStuffins

mattjack wrote: »

After 15 mins I'd have given you 20 euro to fcuk off

Then it seems you understand business just as well as these stall-holders do.

See, they way big business works now is that almost every shop you go into is a branch of a big chain, all being controlled by head office.

Employees are not authorised to give discounts so the Irish people have become very very used to not bothering to ask for one because the answer will always be no.

It's always possible to get discounts in smaller shops when the decision makers are present!

It's a very sad state of affairs though when it's gotten to the stage where someone asking for a discount is being called scabby and cheap.

I bet if they said to you "It's €100 but i'll give it to you for €95" you wouldn't say "No, that would be scabby. Here, take my €100!"

Retro Police

I worked on a stall for years and people like the OP used to drive me nuts. Just because the products are on a stall does not mean you are entitled to a discount, especially not on something like a €5 hat! Would you go into Tesco or Dunnes and try it?

Maybe if you were buying 10 hats you might have had more luck. Generally the profit magins on small value goods is minimal, why should they give you a discount because you're buying one?

MrStuffins

Retro Police wrote: »

I worked on a stall for years and people like the OP used to drive me nuts. Just because the products are on a stall does not mean you are entitled to a discount, especially not on something like a €5 hat! Would you go into Tesco or Dunnes and try it?

Maybe if you were buying 10 hats you might have had more luck. Generally the profit magins on small value goods is minimal, why should they give you a discount because you're buying one?

Tesco/Dunnes and a market stall are completely different i'm afraid!

mattjack

MrStuffins wrote: »

Then it seems you understand business just as well as these stall-holders do.

See, they way big business works now is that almost every shop you go into is a branch of a big chain, all being controlled by head office.

Employees are not authorised to give discounts so the Irish people have become very very used to not bothering to ask for one because the answer will always be no.

It's always possible to get discounts in smaller shops when the decision makers are present!

It's a very sad state of affairs though when it's gotten to the stage where someone asking for a discount is being called scabby and cheap.

I bet if they said to you "It's €100 but i'll give it to you for €95" you wouldn't say "No, that would be scabby. Here, take my €100!"

Did you buy a hat for a hundred euros too ? ... you silly boy

MrStuffins

mattjack wrote: »

Did you buy a hat for a hundred euros too ? ... you silly boy

You seem to have trouble keeping up. Don't worry though, I can get you a nice cheap hat to make you look cool!

mattjack

:pac:

MrStuffins wrote: »

You seem to have trouble keeping up. Don't worry though, I can get you a nice cheap hat to make you look cool!

:pac: So do you....I,ve haggled over cars , vans and books from time to time ..but a hat for a tenner ?

MrStuffins

mattjack wrote: »

:pac:

:pac: So do you....I,ve haggled over cars , vans and books from time to time ..but a hat for a tenner ?

Why not? The principle is the same?

I didn't even want the discount, I did it for the craic (as I ended up giving him €20 in the end anyway).

mattjack

MrStuffins wrote: »

Why not? The principle is the same?

I didn't even want the discount, I did it for the craic (as I ended up giving him €20 in the end anyway).

fair enough

reprazant

mattjack wrote: »

:pac:

:pac: So do you....I,ve haggled over cars , vans and books from time to time ..but a hat for a tenner ?

You'll haggle over the price of a book but not a hat?

mattjack

reprazant wrote: »

You'll haggle over the price of a book but not a hat?

Certainly would ....I collect old books ...most people have no idea of the value of them

Retro Police

MrStuffins wrote: »

Tesco/Dunnes and a market stall are completely different i'm afraid!

Of course they are, in terms of size of structure, but the core principle remains the same for every business - make money. Why would any retailer want to throw their profit margin away, particularly one as minimal as is sure to be attached to a €5 product. For the trader, that's the core issue so I'm not surprised he gave little time to the OP.

Cameron Poe

Something costing 100 quid or over is going to have a bigger margin than something for 5 quid.

I work in an independent shop and I will gladly entertain hagglers spending 50 quid or more. Anything under that is a waste of my time and the height of scabbyness. If you're that poor haggle with Eddie Hobbs and he might let you live in his spare room.

MrStuffins

Retro Police wrote: »

Of course they are, in terms of size of structure, but the core principle remains the same for every business - make money. Why would any retailer want to throw their profit margin away, particularly one as minimal as is sure to be attached to a €5 product. For the trader, that's the core issue so I'm not surprised he gave little time to the OP.

I'm pretty sure you know the answer to this. it's basic business priciple and it's pretty simple.

stovelid

MrStuffins wrote: »

I don't see why people are calling the OP scabby for haggling. If she can get a discount she can get a discount. Since when is saving money a bad thing?

I love haggling. Last year I was looking at a €10 hat and was asking for a discount. They were having none of it.

"€9"

"No way, it's a tenner"

"€9 buddy come on i'll give it to you now"

"No it's a tenner."

"What if I buy 2?"

"Then it'll be €20"


After about 15 mins he finally decided to give me both hats for €18.

I gave him €20 and told him to keep the change!

The point is that you are taking up fifteen minutes of their time when they are trying to make money in a limited time frame.

For a few euro.

MrStuffins

stovelid wrote: »

The point is that you are taking up fifteen minutes of their time when they are trying to make money in a limited time frame.

For a few euro.

Ah well, if they don't want their time taken by paying customers then they're in the wrong game.

stovelid

MrStuffins wrote: »

Ah well, if they don't want their time taken by paying customers then they're in the wrong game.

Semi-paying customers.

CyberJuice

laura* wrote: »

I was shopping in town with my friend today, when a hat caught my eye. I asked the woman could I get a little off to which she replied 'You're not in China'

Funny enough for her to say your not in china

you might as well be in china with all the nock off stuff they are selling on them stalls.. thats what i woulda said to her,then i woulda took out my phone and said im calling the guards if your gonna try be a smart arse..they will confiscate all your illegal stock lmao

one guy had a table full of knock off watches.another stall some woman had gucci and louie vuiton handbags for 20 or 25 euro each lol. another stall the woman has counterfit big brand make up.

there was also many other counterfit goods



the people saying that you cant haggel with these people because they only have a limited time frame to sell the goods is nonsense.. its not like these people sit on their backsides all year and only work on a stall for the 3 weeks before christmas.these guys are on stalls every week of the year,in the liberties,in car boot sales and in loads of other places, so the fact that u say they have a limited time frame is just stupid..


i wouldnt personally ask for discount on a 5 euro item but if the op wants to then she should be able to.. i guess the vendors were being so snappy probly because they are not making as much money as they used to over the last few years,i would often buy a giant toblerone or a silly hat off the stalls if im passing but just dont have the spare cash to waste this year..

Jay D

The situation was OP asks for a discount, gets laughed at, is frightened out of haggling. You're obviously unbelievably crap at it if you thought that was haggling

The stuff they sell along there is absolute crap imo, that aside though they're well used to haggling, up your game a bit and shut up being such a whimp

dfx-

irishbird wrote: »

well seriously, could you blame them ? you were trying to haggle over e5:eek:

If you only afford to spend €4.50, then haggling over €5 is a big deal.

At least the sellers still have a hat, have 'their wit', but they don't have an extra money they could have had. All for the sake of not giving a 50c discount...and people are criticising someone haggling over €5? :eek:

stovelid wrote: »

The point is that you are taking up fifteen minutes of their time when they are trying to make money in a limited time frame.

For a few euro.

Could've had the sale in a minute and moved on if their time is that precious.

Retailer

MrStuffins wrote: »

Then it seems you understand business just as well as these stall-holders do.

See, they way big business works now is that almost every shop you go into is a branch of a big chain, all being controlled by head office.

Employees are not authorised to give discounts so the Irish people have become very very used to not bothering to ask for one because the answer will always be no.

It's always possible to get discounts in smaller shops when the decision makers are present!

It's a very sad state of affairs though when it's gotten to the stage where someone asking for a discount is being called scabby and cheap.

I bet if they said to you "It's €100 but i'll give it to you for €95" you wouldn't say "No, that would be scabby. Here, take my €100!"

As an independent retailer I generally always give a discount to people who spend a fair bit and who ask for a discount.

It's good business and keeps the customer coming back.

In the case of the OP.....to me €9 in the 'till' on a €10 sale is better than losing the sale altogether. I know how much those hats cost as I sell them for €4 so there's still profit for the trader

Cameron Poe

dfx- wrote: »

At least the sellers still have a hat, have 'their wit', but they don't have an extra money they could have had. All for the sake of not giving a 50c discount...and people are criticising someone haggling over €5? :eek:

He probably sold the hat to the next customer without wasting any time with the op.

Haggling over a fiver is the pits.

wyndham

Who was on the stall, Zumo or Deco? If Eileen was there she'd have dealt. She's oldskool.