For most of my life, I’ve been a pretty horrible at bargaining and asking for price reductions…I’m not a rock-the-boat sort of person, and I’m not very bold either, which means I’m usually stuck just paying the asking price whenever I buy something. However, after reading posts on other frugal blogs about bargaining, I’ve screwed up the courage to ask for a lower price several times.
My husband and I bought this clock last month(you may have noticed it in the furniture pictures). I’ve been really wanting one to go over my piano for a while, and we found one on a good sale. When we got to checkout, though, I noticed that the inside of the frame was a little bent. It wasn’t terribly noticeable, and it was the only one they had, so I asked if they would mark it down, and sure enough, they took 15% off! Yay!
Then when I was buying the matching nightstands from Goodwill, I noticed that the drawer on one of them wasn’t working all that well. I was pretty sure I could fix the problem, but I showed the employee and asked if there was any way he could reduce the price. Without any argument he gave me $5 off! So, I only paid $15 for that nightstand(and I had a 10% off coupon for the other one, so I paid $15 for one and $18 for the other).
Finally, last week, I was at Goodwill and found a dress I liked. It’s a Charlotte Russe brand and it was marked at $6.50. However, a small bit of the neck seam was coming apart just a bit(an easy fix), and so when I went to check out, I screwed up the courage to ask if they would take $5 for it. Lo and behold, they did!
I actually wore it with black tights and boots(it looks better that way, I think), but I forgot to take a picture with those on.
So, who knew? I’m braver than I thought. Wonders never cease.
The Frugal Girl » On letting the other person go first
Tuesday 23rd of June 2009
[...] wrote a while ago about how I was slowly learning the art of haggling, which is not something I’m naturally good at. Well, I recently learned that it’s a lot [...]
WilliamB
Thursday 4th of June 2009
It helps if you can give them a reason to mark down: a flaw, a bulk deal, a good story (money is tight, can you help?). And has been said, be nice and wait till the clerk isn't hurried.
There are places where haggling is expected in the US: buying a house, buying a car, getting a loan, second-hand stores, garage sales. Sometimes you can get an edge by putting yourself in the seller's shoes: what would make him want to give you the discount? For example, at a farmers' market it could be that it's the end of the day and they don't wnat to haul away unsold food.
The Frugal Girl » A little Goodwill find
Tuesday 26th of May 2009
[...] Aldi). I’ve found lots of rockin’ stuff for the kids there, but I’ve also found a few things for [...]
Sharon
Friday 13th of March 2009
Great Post!
I learned how to ask "is this the best price?" when shopping at antique shows or yard sales, but I haven't tried it in a retail stores except on floor models; now I'll be more assertive about other stuff too.
I called my phone company the other day and asked if they had any promotions that would apply to our account. I didn't threaten to cancel, I just told them that money was tight and I was trying to find some savings. She looked through her computer and after 10 minutes found a promo code that is saving us $15 a month, for the year. $180 just for asking. Yeah!
Thanks for sharing your experience (and very cute dress!)
Sharon
Battra92
Friday 13th of March 2009
Don't just haggle on the small stuff, go for the big stuff as well. I know you guys don't have cable or anything but I was able to get about $30 a month off my cable bill for calling and threatening to cancel. I would do it with my Cell phone but I'm already getting that as cheap as can be ($38 a month after company discount and selling my new phone and reactivating the old one.)
This reminds me I need to hit up Goodwill again. The ones around me have been universally terrible lately. At least garage sale time is coming up soon! My last major finds from a GW were a desk lamp and a Griswold cast iron skillet. I'm thinking of selling the latter, though.