When buying technology we don't consider bargaining often, but in fact it's something worth doing. To do so we need to be prepared with prices from the competition and we start from there, the prices still go down. Anyone trying this?
If you want to bargain then you'd have to avoid upscale stores. Rich folks fork out the cash and ask no questions. Otherwise in many other stores, you could always ask if they'll offer any discounts. Customer service people have all the information you need and good thing is they won't make you feel like an idiot. Just ask. It could save you some money.
I found out about bargaining a few years ago, and I didn't even know you could do this in a store. I think some people are naturally built that way and never buy anything without haggling. I don't know if it's something I could personally do, as I don't have confidence in my negotiating skills But it's certainly worth trying.
Well I actually didn't know that you could bargain in regular stores. I thought that was just something people did in street/night markets or something like that. When I walk into a legitimate electronic store I'd never even think that the people there would give me a chance to bargain. Well for one, I'm not very good at bargaining and two is I never knew you could honestly. I thought the employees would just laugh at you... But if it is possible then it's definitely worth it because I'll be saving money that I didn't even know I could save. Problem is that I need to find the right stores to walk into and bargain because if it's upscale, I'm not sure they'd even bother with my request.
I will ask when the item is going on sale or when is discount day for senior citizens. I am not a real bargain hunter so it it is not going on sale soon and I do not want to pay the asking price I will find something else.
There's never any harm in asking for a discount at the store. The worst thing that could possibly happen is that they say "no". If you don't ask, you don't get!
@missbishi exactly you can always ask. So many jobs I knew I could give discounts, was too lazy to argue so as long as they asked they got it, Great thing now a days too you can instantly get an idea of the market price for just about anything, I always ask if I fee i am being overcharged anyways.
If it's a big box retailer and you're presenting competitors' prices, then you're just taking advantage of ad match programs and nothing more. Big box retailers won't negotiate or bargain by practice, and individual managers that do are simply breaking from store policy, so it's all hit and miss. You can make a bargain at smaller retailers, sure, but even then the chances of getting a deal are somewhat slim.
I haven't tried bargaining in any stores but I might consider it especially if it is something I can tell they want to get rid of. I think a better idea is to price match, and point out that you can get the item cheaper somewhere else. Many stores like Walmart are good with the price match thing.
Some stores will match any price on an identical item. I have a barcode scan app on my phone that can check for other local & internet prices. A few places like HH Gregg store are really great for that. Sometimes if I'm in too much of a hurry for an internet order, I'll intentionally go somewhere that I know will price match. At other places, you can get discounts on the floor model item. Home depot gave us a discount on a floor model refrigerator at one point. Best buy sometimes has open box electronics too. I like the idea of bargaining but in practice, I find it stressful. Most store employees only have the authority to match the policy. I don't find it stressful to know the policy and ask for it. If I'm somewhere that bargaining is more expected, such as a flea market or talking with a labor provider, that's different.
Over here, bargaining is unheard of in the malls, so I certainly won't do it. It's not the norm. If I want to get a discount then I will wait for those massive 3-day sales that happen twice per year in a certain mall nationwide.
Yep, that is music to their ears. Many times when we mention price matching they go talk to their superiors and accept because after all some profit is better than no profit, especially when the competition is just around the corner with lower prices.
I never try bargaining in technology stores. Often you can get average deals which save you some money, but I've always noticed that they seem to just have set prices in most technology stores. In supermarkets, I don't even think about it. I can't imagine going to the till and having to ask the person there if I could get each item a little cheaper. If I bargain, it's in lesser known stores (not chains). These stores are often hungry for business, so they'll be willing to give you a little discount if you'll buy the product, and hopefully be a faithful customer.
I always try to get the price down on things whenever I can. The way I see it, if you don't ask for a lower price you're never going to get it, but if you do ask for it then there is always the chance that you could get something at a lower price than you had hoped to pay for it. You may not be able to get whatever you're buying for cheaper, but they might then agree to give you something like software or insurance for free, which would be a great thing if you could get it. You don't get if you don't ask, so this is certainly something that you should always try to do when you can.
We have a mall in our country called Greenhills that has all kinds of clothes and gadgets. Unlike regular malls, you can ask for bargains here. You can even look around for the store with the smallest selling price for a particular gadget. We always go here to haggle and buy what we need.
