How many of you are happy to haggle ?

Katek

DH is a champion haggler - even haggled with the traders in the souk in Tangier and those guys are experts! He has absolutely no hesitation in haggling or asking for discounts, I tend to try and melt into the background, it’s alien to me.

I think we may be married to the same man!

If I want something, I just pay whatever the price is. It wouldn’t occur to me to do anything different.

I don’t consider trading a car in and not being happy with the offer is ‘true’ haggling. It’s really expected (in my opinion) as it’s such a big purchase. In the past, I’ve walked away from the sale and been contacted a few days later with a better offer.
Many years ago my cousin tried to haggle over the price of a cooker in Bainbridges (Newcastle’s John Lewis). He and his wife were asked to leave!

I was buying some furniture and the salesman was writing out the order. I piped up 'do I get a discount?' and he said yes as quick as a flash and took off 10 percent. Seems daft not to ask.

I wouldn’t, or I’d be very unlikely to as a general rule. I have a bit of a horror of it, particularly ever since dh’s super-miserly old aunt once argued the toss over 12p off a £12 odd bill in a small wool shop. The poor assistant kept saying she couldn’t, it wasn’t her shop.
So bloody tight and embarrassing - she wasn’t remotely hard up.

I bought 5 holly wreaths before Christmas to put on various family graves, from a market stall. I never usually say anything, but suddenly found myself asking what he would knock off because I was having 5. He discounted me £3!

I was quite chuffed with myself.

DH is a champion haggler - even haggled with the traders in the souk in Tangier and those guys are experts! He has absolutely no hesitation in haggling or asking for discounts, I tend to try and melt into the background, it’s alien to me.

I only do when travelling in a country where it is customary, but I really don't like it.

I can't haggle. I find it impossible.

I hate haggling and rarely do it - mainly because I rarely know what a decent price would be. In Portugal once we were on our way to the bank to get some money when we were pounced on by an old lady who wanted to sell us a beautiful lace tablecloth. She wanted something like 800 escudos and we told her we had no money and walked away. She grabbed me and demanded 600 escudos. We tried to tell her we had no money and to demonstrate I pulled my purse out to show all I had was about 100 escudos. She grabbed the money and threw the tablecloth at me and appeared to be cursing me as she ran away ?

DH was buying a new car last week, from the dealer he has bought from for the last thirty years.

He wasn't happy with what he was offered for the trade in, on his current car.
I pointed out to the salesperson that they had the full service record, the car had low mileage and that they had let us down so badly last year, when the company was taken over, that we had considered going elsewhere.
The offered him a further £1000 on the trade-in, a free five year service plan and would pay for the MOT on his present car, if the new one wasn't delivered in time.

Sometimes it pays to haggle. I always haggle at the markets in Rome, but would never consider doing it in a charity shop.

No never, absolutely not.
If I think it’s too expensive, I won’t buy it.

My husband will haggle in the right situation but I get terribly embarrassed so walk away but he usually gets money off. I’m usually hiding round a corner.

I wouldn't normally haggle in a charity shop, but €4 for a small children's jigsaw in an unsealed box seemed a bit much! I donate separately to the same charity anyway.

I think it would be good if we could take a leaf out of the Middle Eastern custom of haggling, large retailers M&S for example, if they can't shift stock, set up a bartering room, even offer refreshments, appoint an employee or two who could represent the company and then let them go at it, on the basis whatever is on offer is, is only worth what the customer is prepared to pay for it.

Yes I haggle, tried it yesterday in all places…Asda. I wanted the 3 bags of coal that were left but the bags had massive holes in them and the coal was falling out. Managed to gather up coal and bags got to the checkout and asked if I could have some plastic bags to put over them but was told they would be 60p each!! Then I asked for a reduction but that couldn’t be done either so three bags of coal were left on the customer service des, with coal and dust everywhere.

Sorry, but I would never haggle in a charity shop

No, nor me.

Can you haggle in a clothes shop? The staff always seem very haggle-proof. I hate haggling but very pleased with myself on the rare occassions that I try & it works. Charity shops I don't like to, but second hand shops / market stalls I will haggle - especially if it's a "silly prices" place.

Farmor15

I haggle quite a lot - last time was in charity shop with granddaughter - jigsaw was marked as €4 but box was open and pieces loose inside, so I had no way of knowing if all there, and thought it was a bit expensive anyway. Asked about it and got for €2 - quite happy.
Usually ask when buying larger items in electrical shop as well, and often get slight reduction.
I wouldn't haggle in clothes shop, unless it was last item with minor fault, in which case I'd point out the issue and see if they would take a bit off price.

You would haggle in a charity shop, but not a clothes shop?

Oh gosh, I would never haggle in a charity shop ! How sad.
I meant buying large ticket items, houses, cars large white goods, whatever, always worth a try .

Neither would I DanniRae. When I buy stuff from a charity shop, I feel I am making a Donation. And if it's not of 'merchandable' quality, so what?

DanniRae
We have people try it on in our charity shop. I just give them the look and say thats the price, do you want it or not

Sorry, but I would never haggle in a charity shop

My husband haggles all the time.

I absolutely hate it and if i am with him when he begins to haggle, I walk out of the shop.

Ì must admit, i did it once and i got some money knocked off but i felt soooo uncomfortable that i havent done it since.

I did in Moscow! I wanted a set of Russian dolls and kept haggling in Russian. I beat the shopkeeper down quite a bit.

No, but I’m do research the best deals beforehand.