I will pay fewer worthless american dollars for crappy chinese manufactured electronics.
Take it or leave it.

Is it just me, or is this a repost? I think something may be up with Gawker Media at the moment, as the new story Kotaku posted a few hours ago disappeared...

another tip is that Sony Centres (and possibly other stores) have a list behind the counter or in the backroom that states what they can give away for free with stuff and also the prices you can drop things down to!!

I used to work in one of these stores and you always get stuff like a free DVDRW with a 40" LCD or even a free 20" LCD when you buy a big one! These things are not promoted and are only ever used as deal sweeteners so if you ask you will get! :)

If you're a savvy shopper, ask politely for their best price. Don't haggle. This is America, we don't haggle in America. If you haggle, you usually end up looking/acting like a total douche. Try telling the cute chick at Starbucks that you only want to pay $3.50 for that $4.75 cup of MochaFrappaDouchealotta (after she's already made it) and she'll just cock her head sideways and blink at you uncomprehendingly. Why is it o.k. to try this when buying electronics? Grab a salesman, waste his time, then ask for an outrageous price drop, then act offended and throw a public fit when they say no? Wrong.

"But why should I pay full price when I can act like a douche and get a discount?"

Because you're acting like a douche that's why!

/douche

So, you managed to chew 'em down a bit on a pair of jeans... Good for you. Now you can walk around in a pair of last-years jeans that you saved a few $$ on.

@CrunchyFrogger: I didn't want to say it, but am glad you did :-) The guy is a total DOUCHE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As an example of why this pisses me off from a former salesman standpoint:

On say a $1599 laptop, the cost would be (in the system, not really actual cost) something like $1359. My commission on that laptop would be $15.99 (1%). It may take me two hours to sell one of those things. If I discount it even $0.01, I immediately lose $10 off my commission. So yes, this pisses me off. It's hard enough to make a living selling computers, when every Tom, Dick, and Harry think they are entitled to a lower price on something because they are assholes. Now I'm an honest guy, if someone is selling it lower, I will discount it to beat the price, and if you are buying the warranty, I can discount it (a $299 warranty nets me roughly $40) without knowing that I won't even make minimum wage today.

I'm sorry, if you came to me, right off the bat and demanded $150 off this laptop cause you saw it online, I'd tell you to buy it there. I didn't make enough to deal with that crap on what I was selling.

frankly i hate haggling. I understand you need a profit margin but let's skip the song and dance. Why should i go too low, you go too high and then we meet in the middle which is where i wanted to go anyway. just give me the middle price and we can save 30 minutes of our time.

I also want to ask if anyone has had luck at circuit city. I will be buying a 46 inch tv soon and think i might try this haggling. how far are circuit city employees allowed to take off or do i have to be dealing with a manager?

What kind of nutjob pays 50 bucks for a pair of pants?

I don't like haggling. I don't like tipping people either. I guess I'm just a jerk, but I think there's a trust relationship that you should have with a retailer or service provider that says, "I give you my money, and you give me the service or product I'm paying for."

I understand that in some places, haggling is the norm, but that place isn't where I've spent 26 years of my life so far.

I hate haggling. Why can't everyone be f'n fair?

Anyway, if the product doesn't look worn, don't lie. It is one thing if it is cheaper online... it is another thing to lie.

I think if I went to the stores I go to and started haggling they would tell me to get out, big box retailers don't care, and won't lower the price. Also, the stores mentioned in the article are not big box chain retailers, so YMMV on this tactic. Don't expect Kmart or Walmart to go lower on an item just because you walk in there and start haggling and telling them "the price is lower on the internet".

I haggled with Best Buy about 2 months ago. I went to buy a Pioneer A/V reciever, but before i to the store i went online to check the prices.

After going to Best Buy the general manager came over and talked to, told me how great the reciever was. I agreed with him. The only thing i did not like was the price that was $150 more then what online stores listed it as.

He told me to go home and print out price online and bring it back. I did and he matched the price! He did not have to do this at all especially since the store policy is to price beat local store prices.

I'm not condoning taking money away from people, but haggling is *not* a crime! We can thank JC Penny's for doing "the set price is the price, and that's it!" mentality. They were the first company that ever did that, and other retailers caught on. No, it doesn't really make a whole lot of sense to barter on a $4 drink, but the more expensive a product is, it usually has a higher markup.

Spend any time in almost any other country, and you will see that this is the norm. And, often, most products are not that much more expensive than ours.

A friend and I both wanted the same big ticket item, and we decided to use that as a point to haggle. We tried Frys and Best Buy, and the managers at neither store budged an inch.

Frys told us they always start out at the best price. The very next day, the sales was over and the price went back up $500. ;)

Anyway, not an encouraging experience here, at least as far as electronics is concerned. Easier to look for sales. :( My friend eventually just bought the item online.

So the guy lied about the condition of a pair of pants and got some money off? How is lying good?

Being able to haggle at P.C. Richard isn't a new thing. I've never paid full price for anything there. It's essentially their entire business model, to offer discounts particularly when you're looking to buy more than one item.

3 years ago, I got close to $1000 off the price of my kitchen appliances, because I bought them all together.

2 years ago, when my best friend and I were both thinking about getting flat-paneled TVs, I suggested we go together to PC Richard, specifically because we could probably negotiate a deal if we were buying two at the same time. And we did.

Both times, I paid less for the equipment than I was able to find in any other store or online.

@shockwaver: You DeltaPursuer and CrunchyFogger are lost. This is the consumerist.com site. The end of the article asks for help not comercial wining.
@shockwaver:
You are no different than that person asking for the discount. You are only interested in how the affects your wallet. So is he/she doing the haggling.
The company selling the product will still make money off the sale. If their sale practices use commission for sales people, then it is the company that is the root of the problem... not the sales person nor the consumer.
Most places have removed the commission aspect of the sale. It is only fair that a sales person be rewarded for providing good service, not for being ruthless and money hungary. Pay the person a honest rate -> they do a good job for the customer -> customer tells friend, "Ask for Bob, he did right by me." -> Bob's sales go up significantly -> Bob get a raise or promoted = everyone's happy.
That's how it is suppose to work if the Anti-consumerists of sales and customer service can be weeded out.

@TheStephenRay: Yes, precisely, America consumers are treated like they have no rights to do business.

The store can't be considered superior in comparison to the consumer. However, since Americans are used to this, they really don't try to fight back....it's almost like brainwashing.

(I wonder why the consumerist was made :)

The two most powerful tools a haggler has are willingness to walk away if you don't like the deal (whether that's full price or an actual deal), and willingness to make non-monetary "deals."

Like they won't drop the price on a suit, but they WILL throw in free tailoring or a tie. (I do my husband's shopping.) Or they can't drop the price on X, but they'll hold it for me for three days because there's coupon coming in the mail/sale starting/they'll give me an invite to the 40% off preview/whatever.

I don't lie when I'm looking to make a deal, and I'm always polite. Generally my most effective tool is simply, "I really like this, but I wasn't looking to spend quite so much today." (or "I simply don't have it in the budget" or whatever the case is.) Now, I don't do this all that often (probably less than 1% of my shopping), and I really only do it on big-ticket items, and only in certain types of stores (I can imagine asking for a larger discount on an open-box item at, say, Target, but I've never actually done it, and I can't really imagine HAGGLING about it).

A second important point to make is that I do live in a smaller community, I do patronize these stores frequently, and they KNOW when I send them customers. So I'm not walking into random stores demanding discounts; these are places where I'm a good customer and have some relationship with the store people. And in a smaller community there is a little more flexibility, since "advertising" is very relational here, since everyone knows EVERYONE.

My husband's suit guy particularly loves me; I testified at a liquor license hearing in favor of a license he was trying to acquire for another business he owned (which I didn't know he owned; in a community this small, that kind of thing happens a lot), AND I send him all of my students who come to me and say, "I have an interview, but I don't know where to buy a suit? Or, um, how to buy one I don't look stupid in?"

I mean, if you refer 200 people to your favorite direct-to-consumer-sales-doing farmer, why are you shocked if he discounts your tomatoes? Relationships keep business running. (And, yes, in my self-employed business work, I make deals with clients too.)

@HawkWolf:
If you don't tip to those who make part of their wages off of providing you that service,... you are a jerk and essentially a mooch. I am against automatic or manditory gratuity, but I will tip based on the service I recieve.

Also, you have lives a pretty sheltered 26 year short life. More likely, you just haggle the non-confrontational way. You spend your money where you get the best value, not full retail price. Why pay retail if you don't have to. Unless,... your sheltered life is one where money is not a concern... i.e. Paris Hilton. She's a pillar of society, right?

@SaraAB87: That is where you would be wrong. You just have to know who to talk to without pissing anyone off or being rude. Geed manners get good service. Simply ask if there is someone here who can make me a good deal on this product. Either the sales associate will step up and say, "I can do that." or "What kind of deal are you looking for and I can run it by the manager?"
Granted, It probably will not work if you are looking at the last Wii or PS3 on the shelf. However, if it is a large item that does not move so quickly out of inventory your barganing will have better results.

I think salesmen are more apt to laugh at you if you attempt to haggle. Its just unheard of around here. Who haggles when going to buy a tv at best buy? Noone that's who. And a best buy salesmonkey is just going to say that the price is set. I've met too many salemen who are just jerks anyway & have absolutely NO respect for their customers.

@forgottenpassword:

Besides.... its much easier to just shop around for a better price somewhere's else.

If someone is willing to pay $5 for a bottle of water, $300 for a pair of jeans, or $10 for a burger, fries , and drink... then that's what the price will continue to be... or higher. The retail mark-up is quite severe.
It is up to the consumer to say, "Are you f'n mad! I'll give you 75 cents for what maybe cost you 5 cents for that water."
For example, at a dealer would you pay sticker price on a new or used vehicle? If you do, you must not like having an extra couple grand in your bank account... If that's the case, give that extra money to a charity and get the tax deduction.

My parents took advantage of bargaining a couple years ago when buying an HDTV at the local Boscov's (department store). The TV was originally $3500 on sale for $3300. By being polite and shopping around we got the TV (from them) for $3100 plus a 1-year service warranty.

I love haggling. It's a way of life. I'll never forget when I walked into a Pier One store that was closing and saw a $350 TV stand sitting by the register. It was in good shape, but it it looked like it had one or two small nicks on it. I casually asked the sales rep about it, and she said it was discounted to $150 or $175. I mentioned that it wasn't in perfect condition, and that I'd take it off their hands for $75. She checked with her manager and ended up giving it to me for the price I offered.

Unfortunately, the tv stand ended up getting stolen. Still, I'd rather lose a $75 tv stand than a $350 one.

i love the inter-racial couple in the picture. nothing says 'im such a free spirit' more than a long multi-fabric skirt, an Indian husband (aka boyfriend of 17 years) and shopping for an HD tv.

@Id_LQQK: "However, if it is a large item that does not move so quickly out of inventory your barganing will have better results."

That's another good point. There's a point at which it costs more to keep things in inventory than to sell them at a loss. I worked at a "variety store" (like a 5-and-dime for the modern era) in high school, and every year we had a "sidewalk sale" where we marked all of that stuff that was costing us in inventory waaaaaaaay down, and on the last day of the sale, sold "all you can fit in a bag for a buck" bags.

Some of our customers knew when the sidewalk sale was coming, and knew that about two weeks before that they could play "let's make a deal" with the manager on older merchandise that we just needed to offload.

In some types of retail, once things are starting to be marked down, they're really just trying to get them off the sales floor and out of inventory at the best price possible, and they quite frequently will deal.

There's a fine line on haggling for me. I can and have made offers for things like floor models or scratch and dent merchandise, and I can see it being reasonable for unique products (handmade, used, or straggler clearance items, for example), but if haggling starts to become the default or even commonplace at a particular place such that different customers are paying different prices for the exact same things, I'll stop going there.

I don't want to have to bicker to avoid paying more than other customers, and I really really don't like the idea of stores effectively charging different prices based on the customers' negotiating skills or looks or whatever other criteria they are setting. That's probably the thing I hate the most about auto sales, for example. And regardless of which side of the equation I'd end up on in any given instance, it's not a practice I want to support.

@DeltaPurser: But he's paid enough already, what with suffering the indignity of being seen wearing LAST YEAR'S JEANS. That's like walking around in public with a big pile of shit on your head or something! I would never pay more than $50 for that, either.

To me, haggling just isn't worth the hassle. I'd rather just research prices and sales to find the best price. But maybe that's just because I have social anxiety.

Anyone who ever sold TO the chains (I did), understands that big retailers squeeze considerable price concessions from their suppliers. If you think retailers pay the vendors' "published price", you're dead wrong. It's a meat-grinder environment, and intense price negotiations are universally expected.

Since that's the way they buy, I make sure that's the way they sell too (to me). I am not ashamed or embarrassed to haggle whenever I can.

@Eyebrows McGee:
I had a former Lowes employee tell me that the items that are maked on the shelf with a different color sticker are the items they are trying to closeout. He said you can always make a deal on these, especially if you buy in groups or multiples.

Another price labling tell is when some stores change the price on an item and the cents part is odd or different. For expample, The original price was 19.99, then it changes to 16.97, then 14.94... the cents is a tag to the sales person about how badly the item is moving and or if that is the lowest price they will take.

Also, if they are out of stock on an item and are not expecting more in soon... make an offer on the display.

I have used all these tells and angles with great success. Just always be polite and ask for someone who can make a deal.

@spanky: Sorry to say but, if you buy the item as listed you are supporting the practice that makes the price continually higher and thus needs the haggler to bring the price back down to something reasonable... (reasonable is a relative term to each consumer's means)

It's okay that some of you aren't comfortable asking for a discount. It's even better that some of you consider yourselves "above" haggling. That makes it more likely for them to mark it down for the rest of us when we come by to negotiate!

If this guy is shopping around online, surely it'd be easier to find a cheap price that way rather than cutting into some poor college kid's salary.

@Id_LQQK: Ha ha, do you really think so?

I'm finding it difficult to imagine what bizarre scenario you're imagining here. For everything but the most insignificant purchases, I research the products and prices ahead of time, then pay a fair price (not always the lowest price) for what I want.

So I suppose I could just as readily blame you for the increasingly poor quality products flooding the marketplace, as that trend seems to be driven by shortsighted, uneducated consumers who base their purchasing decisions based on the immediate cost of acquisition alone. But I won't.

Knowing the balance is key here as both purchaser and seller I have had many experiences at leading with my best price only to have it thrown in my face.
One very effective practice for long term purchasing is to establish a relationship as a fair person and after a while introduce "is that the best you can do?"into the negotiation.

Remember when your hammering for a lower price you will always loose something if the other does not make money.
Accept the seller has to make a living and he will go the extra mile guaranteed.

And in the final analogy if you are not happy with a service or a seller don't shop there nothing gets the attention of a business faster than falling sales.

@spanky: Not so fast...and the scenerios are endless in America.
Don't get me wrong. I shop around and research the products I'm buying extensively. That is how I arm myself with the knowledge of price AND quality.

You can thank me, though, for ensuring your good quality products don't have an over inflated price. That way there is less work for those of you who get squimish stomachs at the thought of haggling to get a good value for your money.

I've tried to get a discount on floor or damaged merch, but most stores say that 10% off is standard, and you can't return. This really doesn't seem like a good deal to me. Has anyone else broken through the 10% ceiling?

@Id_LQQK: I enjoy buying display models and store fixtures.

But sometimes you have to ask a few salespeople before one takes you seriously on the fixtures. (In case you're wondering, no, those aluminum iPhone docks at the Apple Store are not for sale.)

I was actually mentioned in this story, and I can't believe people around here have so much hate for haggling. I don't think what you guys are describing is what happened in my case. We found a better price online and at another store. But, we wanted to patronize another store AND they had a better warranty. So, they offered to match prices. Is this haggling?

Also, none of you have EVER haggled on a car price?

@Id_LQQK: I'm honestly not sure what you're so defensive about. And I never said haggling makes me squeamish. I don't enjoy it, but I'm capable of it when it's called for.

And I'm having a hard time believing that you really think that your individual haggling has any real effect on standard pricing. For most products, barring price fixing or something, plain old vanilla supply and demand takes care of that.

My objection to haggling for standard, off the shelf products is that it results in different pricing for different customers; and I try to avoid businesses that do that on a regular basis--again, whether I benefit from the discounts or not.

Some of this is inevitable and unavoidable, of course, as I mentioned. But say you're OK with stores giving discounts for customers who have certain nebulous charms or negotiating skills. How are those quantified, and how are they applied? Should pretty girls get better discounts than ugly ones? Should women get better discounts than men? What about discounts based on class distinctions? Age? Race? Religion?

Thing is, without a uniform pricing structure, people do get discounts based on those criteria and others. And the flip side of some people paying less is that other people are paying more.

If I know that a store is regularly charging people different prices for the same products, I avoid those places whenever I can. So feel free to list the stores you've successfully negotiated lower prices at, and I will avoid them.

I was a retail manager for a number of years and I didn't mind some haggling....as long as the customer wasn't an asshole.

My store had a great policy where if the item went on sale within 90 days the customer could get a refund for the difference.

If someone asked I'd give them the 90 day low price. Usually though, the customer would have the item loaded up and in their cart, sometimes even in the checkout line before they'd ask for some outrageous discount.

Not going to happen dumbass. If you've gotten that far you've already decided to purchase the item, so anything I give you just comes off my bottom line. Also, the discounts being asked for usually cut into my costs.....I'm not going to sell anything for a loss if I can help it.

Most large retailers have arrangements with their suppliers to return damaged product and many times it's easier to return the item to sell for a loss.

@sam: Totally. 15 years PC Richards gave me a lower price on a microwave for just being nice to them.

It doesn't always work. When I went to buy a TV from Circuit City, I went in knowing that Fry's had several models on sale. When I told the salesman that I wanted to buy a TV from them and not Frys (truth), and even after verifying that Frys did indeed beat them price-wise, they didn't really seem to care. Yes, they did knock down their already "sale" prices but they would not even get near the Fry's price. I even wanted to buy high-markup accessories, which they couldn't even be bothered to keep in stock. No sale. Sorry.

I then went to Best Buy (hey, my selections here are limited) to look for TV stands. I found only one I liked, which was a last-remaining floor model without a price tag. The droids couldn't even give me a price, telling me to come back later to talk to their floor manager, who of course had already gone home. No sale. Sorry.

Of course, I go out of my way to tell everyone where to get good deals on TVs, and it ain't Circuit City, so they also lost several referrals.

(BTW: What a great picture. I've forgotten what stores looked like before the advent of flat-panel digital TV's.)

I just gotta put my 2¢ in. In esta border town, there's this strange retail behavior that mystified me for awhile, that occurs at the checkout. While the cashier is checking somebody's merchandise, the shopper will suddenly begin some odd discussion about something purchased. The customer'll want to talk about the prices at this store vs someplace else, or they will argue whether this is indeed the product the scanner says it is, or some other random issue related to the merchandise. This may be repeated for multiple items by the same customer. It pains my efficient German sensibilities when these at times lengthy discussions go on while six people are waiting for that same cashier. I realized one day that this behavior is a replacement for haggling. I don't want a haggling economy--it takes too long.

@goodkitty: At the Best Buy I worked at, we could only sell floor models if the item was discontinued or no longer stocked. If that was the case, than the peons were incompetent or lying. Since there's always a manager in the store, I lean towards lying.

If it was just out of stock, think of the kid that has to assemble that stand, again, when they get more. Oh the agony!

Shame, shame.

Haggling is unamerican.

When I go to buy a car I just look at the price on the window and pay it. I also pay whatever the kind salesman tells me that the "destination charge" and "undersoating" and "dealer profit" and whatever is supposed to be.

If you aren't prepared to pay whatever price any store puts on what they want to sell, then you are a cheap bastard tiny kitten-killing idiot that doesn't deserve to shop at such pristine locations for your chinese-made trinkets.

Think of the children!!!