Have you ever considered negotiating for a better price but weren’t sure of the best technique?
After all, you don’t want to run the risk of offending the employee or manager your dealing with and have the situation turn ugly.
A couple weeks ago I caught an old episode of 20/20 on ABC in which they had a segment titled ‘How To Bargain Anywhere, With Anyone’.
They talked about haggling for a better price, even at big chain stores like Macy’s, Home Depot, and Best Buy.
It was very interesting piece, and Teri Gault, the creator of The Grocery Game.com, gave some great tips:
Assume It’s Negotiable – Gault gave the example of big ticket items like furniture and electronics. In the segment, she went into a large furniture store and asked the sales associate what was the best price he could give her. He said it was not on sale, at which point she asked to speak with a manager who in the end sold the item to her for $40 off the sticker price.
Look For Imperfect Items – This would seem to work well in clothing and hardware stores where many items have imperfections. I have asked for a discount this way with good success. I used to work at The Home Depot and we were encouraged to lower the price for customers to move imperfect items off the shelf and out of the store.
Quantity Discount – This is the notion that the more you buy, the bigger the discount you should ask for. I did this at Best Buy a couple years ago when I was buying a TV and a DVD player. I asked the manager if he would give me $50 off the DVD player if I bought both today. He said “sure” faster than I could finish my sentence. Always worth a try.
Do Your Research and Compare Prices – You have a great negotiating tool if you know what other stores are selling the item for. Many stores have a price match policy or a 110% price match guarantee where they will actually undersell their competition. Knowledge is power.
There definitely is a science to haggling and choosing the right words to use. I’m not sure I would feel comfortable asking to speak to a manager just to see if he/she could lower the price on a single item that had nothing wrong with it. For me, that might cross the line into just being a pain in the rear-end. Have you ever tried this? If so, were you successful in scoring a discount?
Whether you are a haggler or not, hopefully these coupons can help you save some additional money shopping at some of the more popular online stores. No haggling required to get these discounts.
Abe Books.com
Free Shipping on your Entire purchase
Coupon Code: None Needed
Expiration: 2/29/12
See All: Abe Books Coupons
All Posters.com
Save 20% off your Entire purchase
Coupon Code: HEARTAPC
Expiration: 3/06/12
See All: All Posters Coupons
Crate & Barrel.com
Save 20% Off All Bedding and Bedding Essentials
Coupon Code: None Needed
Expiration: 3/04/12
See All: Crate & Barrel Coupons
Dickies.com
Save 20% Off your Entire order
Coupon Code: LOVE
Expiration: 2/29/12
See All: Dickies Coupons
Eddie Bauer.com
Save 25% off your online purchase
Coupon Code: SPRING12
Expiration: 2/15/12
See All: Eddie Bauer Coupons
PacSun.com
Save 15% Off $100+ + Free Shipping
Coupon Code: PACSUNVALENTINE
Expiration: 2/29/12
See All: PacSun Coupons
Sharper Image.com
Save $10 off your $100+ purchase
Coupon Code: AFF14980
Expiration: 3/31/12
See All: Sharper Image Coupons
Smart Bargains.com
Save 15% Off your Entire online order
Coupon Code: None Needed
Expiration: 2/24/12
See All: Smart Bargains Coupons
This guest post was written by Kyle James, who owns and operate a website called Rather-Be-Shopping.com which specializes in promotional codes for over 700 stores, organized in 25 shopping categories.
Photo Credit: evilsarah
It takes a lot of courage to walk into a store and successfully haggle. But, with these tips I’m sure your readers will be bargain pros in no time
Yes, I do include toilet paper, toiletries, and cleaning products.