Best Buy & Circiut City (The City) OK with haggling
Is the art of haggling back again? Many retailers are trying to help address ease the economic concerns by unofficial allowing their sales personnel to allow haggling. The New York Times reported that many of the old used car tricks may work with these mega-stores in hopes of you trying to secure a better deal.
Using tactics like, “good cop, bad cop”, “unable to afford payments”, “just shy about making the large purchase”, or the “it is not really the color I wanted…”, could leave a few more bucks back in your wallet.
Savvy consumers, empowered by the Internet and encouraged by a slowing economy, are finding that they can dicker on prices, not just on clearance items or big-ticket products like televisions but also on lower-cost goods like cameras, audio speakers, couches, rugs and even clothing – Matt Ritchel – NEW YORK TIMES March 23, 2008
To read more of the story…. NEW YORK TIMES – Even at mega-store, hagglers find no price set in stone
Negotiating maybe acceptable at the store your at and it’s always worth a try. After all, you have nothing to lose and much to gain. A few things you should do before heading out into haggle city. Do your homework on-line first, find out what the fair price from a notable reseller. Weigh the advantages of working with an on-line retailer versus a brick and mortar store. Many stores offer the best of both worlds like Circuit City (The City) and Best Buy. Purchase on-line and return via the physical store if there is an issue. Keep in mind that almost all stores with match prices and some like Lowes will give you an extra 10% off if you find a lower price from a local brick and mortar store.
Begin to drop hints as you are working with you sales associate that the price is high compared to to other stores. Prepare your face for the “eyes bugging out of the sockets” trick when you see the total price as it appears on the register. This is also a point to put the squeeze on your pimple faced salesman into nervousness. This adds just a little more stress as more customers are waiting, the frustration that they just spent 30 minutes of their life with you when they could have been listening to latest song by Usher and Young Jeezy.
Keep in mind that there is usually room to work with the associate on extended warranties. Use this to your advantage after you have exhausted all pockets of puff on the price. When looking at applicances keep in mind that you need to take into consideration hook-ups, delivery, and removal of appliances. While Best Buy may offer free delivery and removal, Lowes could be less expensive in the long run by taking advantage of the 10% competitive price discount (Lowes can offer rebates back on delivey charges).
So, ready set, start haggling….
