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Home > Smart Spending > Archives > 2009 > January > 22
Thursday, January 22, 2009
The Art of Haggling Spills Over to U.S. Shores — and Stores
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
My first stab at haggling unfolded 21 summers ago during the Olympics in South Korea, where back-and-forth dealing is a way of consumer life. I negotiated for a tailored suit at an amount about 10 percent under its already low price.
Back home, I’ve yet to dust off my lone haggling experience and apply it at a bricks-and-mortar store. Just didn’t seem proper.
Now I hear that shoppers increasingly haggle, even with chains such as Best Buy.
See a big-screen plasma TV that would bust your budget? Make a reasonable offer south of the amount on the tag.
Some bold shoppers apparently can pull it off. They are good actors, able to feign shock at a weak counter from the sales clerk, and well-researched, able to quote a cheaper price at the rival store down the street.
There are few avenues I won’t travel to spend wisely, but haggling in a roomful of people strikes me as intimidating.
How about you? Have you given haggling a whirl in the U.S., where the practice is far less common than in Europe and other continents?
If so, what businesses have you found are willing to play the game? Share your experiences — good, bad and ugly.
Meantime, I will pore over tips and advice as I haggle with myself on whether to haggle for my next dishwasher.
