Okay, I know that sometimes haggling gets a bad wrap, but seriously, there is not really anywhere I shop that I DON’T haggle. Stores like Ross and Tuesday Morning are my best friends because I know the haggling has already been done for me, and in regular stores, you can’t really haggle…or can you?
Ideas on How To Haggle And Get What You Want
Call me crazy, but I’m the woman in the line at the tire store haggling over a set of winter tires, that lady in the shoe store asking them if they have that size on clearance. Yep, totally me and I used to be somewhat ashamed of it, but now, I have to tell you how liberating it is!
As I write this, I just got back from a furniture store. I went in for an appliance and came in $19 under what I set out to pay! They went down from $570 to $350! I saved $120 just by haggling. Now, I’m not a ruthless haggler. I’m not mean, they have to make their commissions too. It all starts with one question phrase….
Can you go lower on this?
It’s that simple. Sometimes they say no, most of the time, though, they say YES! They act like they can’t. “I gotta clear it with the boss. See how much they can go.” “Okay,” I say and wait. They come back, say a number too high and that’s when you get ’em.
Well, I saw over at this other store (or online) they had this same item for….less…or I have a friend who’s willing to sell me for…less….
Now, word of caution, don’t lie. Make sure it’s true, but the trick is to do your research BEFORE you go so that you CAN say that!!!
Not only did they go $350 at the furniture store, but they threw in FREE delivery! Now, I’m a single mom without a truck and a husband. Delivery for me is HUGE, and it was the clencher in the deal. I told them, “I’m a single mom. Delivery is huge for me.” If you don’t have a truck, you could say that. Now, if you have a truck and a husband, delivery is not a big deal anyway. But for me, they deliver the item, completely set up the whole thing, batta-bing-botta-boom DONE.
I was also looking at another piece of furniture there and since I was offered free delivery, all I have to do is go back to the first store and see what I can do there about that piece of furniture and play the free delivery card, but always play that last. You want them to go down as much as they can on price FIRST before you negotiate delivery.
The more you try it, the better you’ll get and the more you will save. I remember when I first started, it was on Craigslist. Don’t take the money with you, leave it in the car. Don’t show them you have the money. Important. They see = they want.
Another thing I like to do is dress regularly. I’m not going into a haggling situation wearing my fancy clothes. I’m wearing regular street clothes. If you’re yard saleing, no pulling up in your Mercades Benz. Once they know you have money, the game is over and you lose.
When I was buying winter tires last month, I got the price quote on the phone, haggled a little bit and she got me a great deal. It was $125 off the set of 4 and there was a special trick to it on her end to get me that deal
So, when I got to the store to try to buy them, they had no clue. I asked to talk to the girl or the manager. The girl comes around and I get my $125 savings. Now, if I didn’t ask, I would not have gotten that savings. There’s a Bible verse like that. You have not, because you ask not. Totally not in context of haggling, mind you, but the principle is the same. I ask, so I get discounts. Is it hard to ask, yes. I still get really nervous, but I also keep asking different people until I find one that will give me what I want. If one customer service rep. won’t do something, that doesn’t mean the next one around the corner won’t. Same thing on the phone. Hang up and call again. 95% of the time, you can get what you want by doing that.
One thing I’d like to make note is that you don’t try to take advantage of someone. Don’t try to rip people off or offer $200 for a $570 item. Let’s play fair. If you play fair, you will be treated fairly. The whole idea of offering WAY lower to get them to go lower, is, in my opinion, a waste of time. Offer a FAIR price and you will get a lot more yeses than no’s.
Likewise, on the other end of the spectrum, just because I have money, doesn’t mean I want to spend it. Yes, I have $600 for that item that I purchased at the furniture store. It wouldn’t dent my bank account at all if I DID buy it at full price. That doesn’t mean I WANT to. Listen, I do not care how much money I make, I will not spend it foolishly. I’ll always be “cheap” according to the world, that’s WHY I have money.
It’s like the exercising joke. You see someone jogging and you think to yourself, “man, I wish I had her body. If I had a body like that I wouldn’t NEED to excersise.” Well, the point is that she HAS that body BECAUSE she excersizes!!!! Same thing here. I HAVE money because I spend it wisely. I will never stop and I can tell you that I know a lot of affluent people who haggle and who spend their money wisely as well. Most people are not born into wealth. It is acquired over a long time of wise decisions. Do I still make a foolish decision, sure, but it’s not the pattern of my life. The pattern is to try to get the best quality at the lowest prices. You must buy quality. The store I haggled at today was a very high end quality furniture store, the best in our area. But if I can walk in there and get the same price by haggling as I would by shopping say Walmart, bleck, and have my item better quality and last years longer, it’s a no-brainer for me.
Moral of the story: haggle! Do it now! Do it often!
