Tag Archives: Haggling

How to Haggle in Today’s World

Frugal living is not a part-time philosophy. Applying money-saving techniques only some of the time, or only in certain contexts, will seriously compromise your efforts to prepare for a better future, or to make the most of your retirement if you’re already there. And one way you are probably losing money is by paying full whack at the shops.

We tend to assume, in this day and age, that price tags are nonnegotiable messages from above, and that phone and internet tariffs are necessary evils. Not so. Haggling for a better price is still an effective practice in the 21st century, and if you’re not bartering down then you’re losing out.

How Should We Haggle in Today’s World?

But how to go about such an approach – how to do it politely and successfully? Well, that very politeness is the key. Nobody is under any responsibility to give you a better price, and they’re likely to walk away if you offend them or come across as self-entitled.

Better to create relationships, be it a friendly getting-to-know-you with a shop assistant who, at the end of the month, is close to hitting their bonus target if they can just manage one more sale, or a long-term understanding with the boss of an independent store in a town you’ve lived in your whole life.

Finding the right person to ask, and working out what will motivate them to lower the price, will get you a long way. This is one reason you may be better off with local retailers who have more say over what goes on in their store.

That said, if you find flawed or damaged goods in a chain store, it’s worth asking for some money off – such big businesses would rather get problem items off their hands. And when making a big purchase (for example electricals [appliances/devices] or expensive shoes) it’s worth asking for extras if you can convince them it will make the difference to whether you open your wallet.

Different contexts will require different techniques, but a great new infographic identifies some of the best ways to go about haggling in ‘real life’, over the phone and online. Have a look next time you’re planning to shop, and think about the value you can add to your lifestyle.

In Closing

Haggling is traditionally only considered when buying a car, at garage sales, or buying used items online. But there is a place for haggling in today’s world that goes beyond that.

Many of us are uncomfortable with haggling. But doing it politely can be a valuable negotiating skill for us to have in our frugal living. Anyone can learn and apply proper and basic techniques in a polite and nonabrasive way to save money. With practice we can become comfortable with it.

I want to thank Amit Raj for sharing this infographic link that shows some great ways where we can haggle in today’s world and save money.