In my previous posts on haggling, I've pointed out that in tough economic times, you're in an entirely new ball game where the old rules no longer apply. I told my story of haggling over fish prices, and how I worked out a deal significantly less than than the sale price on my favorite fish at my favorite upscale market.
Now some more personal haggling. We just got back from two weeks at the lake with the kids and grandkids, only to find that the old, old washing machine was on the Fritz. So off to the major appliance store, but only after checking out prices on the web.
After looking around and identifying a potential machine, I engaged the salesperson in chit-chat. What I wanted to know first was whether he was on commission. Yep, he was. That lets me know he's got skin in the game. The appliance business is tough in this recession. On my back burner was the fact that I was also quite willing to buy a new dryer at the same time to avoid the pain of another breakdown, if I could negotiate a "really good price."
We started out at 15% off the regular price. Moved from there to free delivery, installation and removal. From there to an additional 10% off the price because we're seniors--although it would be another month for the usual senior discount. Next day delivery didn't work out as stated, so the salesperson lopped off the price of two connections for our pain. What started out slightly above $1,000 came out at $839.
Here are bargaining tips from Yogi Berra:
"The future ain't what it used to be." When economic circumstances change, you can expect buyers to be very cautious, and salespeople highly motivated to make a sale.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." We were at a major suburban department store on a Sunday afternoon, but no one was around except for the sales people. Furthermore, my salesperson was very tentative about his pricing. I suspected the sale was more important than the actual price. We were the only customers that appeared while we spent 30 minutes looking over the merchandise.
"It ain't over till it's over." You or the salesperson may think a deal is locked up, but the customer can still decide to walk away.
Bottom line: It's really, well--stupid--not to haggle in this environment.
Related Posts:
Haggling: Suggested Opportunities