Do You Haggle Over Prices with Sellers?
http://gregorydowling.com/article-kathleen-ann-gonzalez-four-horsemen By danderma | December 3, 2013
If there is one thing on earth I cannot stand it would would haggling, or bargaining with sellers for the price of their goods. Haggling is an art, or so I’m told, and many people excel on it. Some people would go on forever, asking for more discount even after the poor seller has exhausted all means of saying he can’t offer anymore.
I usually squirm when I’m with someone, buying something, and they’d start bargaining. I don’t like it and I actually step in and ask the person to stop bargaining when it gets too bad, enough is enough. I usually get told off by people I know for not bargaining or for ruining their prolonged bargain. I personally never bargain, ever. If I’m told a price I will accept it and either produce the money or move on if I think its too much. This is the price at which the seller is offering, take it or leave it. Why would you deny this person the profit he aims for? He is trying to make a living after all and when he sells for less than he anticipates because of your haggling he will end up with less profit than he anticipates.
The most annoying haggles are for amounts like a kd or two, sometimes 500 fils! Sometimes even I have to admit that haggling can save you big numbers, 200 or 500 KD for example, and I’m impressed but still don’t like it. However, after blowing all my cash in the last book fair for booklets that cost 4 KD and above, I’ve learned that the book fair offers a 25% discount on books and that you must be given a receipt for your purchases and if it doesn’t include a discount you can complain to the fair’s management. Since I’m not the haggling type I wouldn’t have though it possible to bargain on book prices in the first place but now I’m not so sure anymore!
Should I have asked for a discount? Would I have asked for a discount? When I knew about the 25% discount I said that next year I’m going to ask for it since they participants agreed to it in the first place but would I stand there and go how much it is and where is my discount? I’m not sure I’d do it since it does resemble haggling in a way, doesn’t it?
What do you think? Do you haggle for prices or not? Are you a good bargain hunter? Do you know someone like me who complains when you keep asking for a discount?
I haggle. I dont think its about depriving the seller of his targetted profit, but you gotta admit some sellers are rip offs and just are being outrageous in their pricing. Naturally i dont haggle in every store, but more in street bazaars when i travel. but i also see no harm if for example you’re at a store and just simply ask is there no further discount. alot of the times there is an unannouced discount that you can avail.
I don’t mind it much when someone asks for a discount for the first time, but I can’t stand it when they insist on an unreasonable price and keep insisting and the thing turns into an tennis match! If you ask once and you don’t get it then why not drop the thing all together?
i was like you . i hated it. but then knowing that its the “bargaining” price i see no harm asking for the real price ..
some people do it for the fun of it!
Ee I hate it when people do it for the fun of it! Especially if the person you know just won’t stop and you feel like crying on behalf of the poor seller!
I don’t haggle but if I feel it is unfair I ask if that their’s price, and then buy it anyways if I need it. More often than not, sellers will come to a reasonable price. Then again, these sellers spend more than half of their lives making a living and unlike the rest of us they can’t just drop their business and go do whatever they wish to with their time. So out of respect for them having to leave their families and other activities behind, I tend not to ask for a discount.
Then you understand exactly where I’m coming from! Thank you!
Well here in the UK, you can’t haggle, but I would if I were to go abroad, where the sellers know you’re foreign and charge you a high price to start with.
Fair point, especially when sellers want to make the most out of the fact that you are a tourist. Then again if there was fixed pricing there shouldn’t be the need to have different pricing for tourists or locals in the first place.