Bargain Hunters Share 8 Tricks For Haggling In Shops & Saving £150
- If you’re not happy with a price in-store or online there can be ways to negotiate money off
- Bargain hunters from Latest Deals share their tips and tricks for making huge savings while they’re shopping
- Discounts they have picked up include £150 off computers, free headphones and up to £30 off tech
You may associate haggling with street markets abroad, but it is possible to start conversations in-store and online while you’re shopping to see if you can get a better price. Tom Church, Co-Founder of money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk, said: ‘I have spoken to many members in the last few years who regularly haggle for discounts and are successful. Even if you only get 10% off, every reduction helps you to make savings. You may even get some huge discounts, as one person proved by getting £150 off! Here are some of the best stories and tricks I have gathered from the community.’
Leave Your Item In The Online Shopping Basket - Grab A 10% Discount
Kaylee L asked: ‘How do you haggle with an online store?’ to which Laura S replied: ‘Put [the item] in the basket and wait for a discount code!’ Martin H has a few methods up his sleeve: ‘I try basket dumping, where you make sure you are logged in (sign up if you have to) put stuff in your basket then leave it there and some companies will send you a discount code in a day or two…On some sites I even buy first then ask, if it is limited stock or time [sensitive].’
Tom added: ‘While it isn’t a direct negotiation, if you leave the item you want in your online shopping basket for a day or two you could receive an incentive from the shop in the form of a discount. From speaking with members, I’ve learned that Boohoo can offer 10% off, then 15%, then 20%. Ocado can give you vouchers if you sign up for an online account but don’t spend, and Photobox will give you a whopping 50% off! It’s not guaranteed, but it’s worth a try.’
Get A Manager Or Supervisor To Intervene - Get £30 Off In Currys
Staff members, supervisors and managers can sometimes have the power to provide discounts at their own discretion. Lou I said: ‘Every time I shop in Curry’s I get £20-£30 off. ‘Managers discretion’ they usually call it!’ Dean C had a story to share: ‘Well, I’ve seen someone in front of me with just over £300 of food saying to the cashier I’m only paying £300. She called for a supervisor who gave a discount so it is possible.’
Tom added: ‘If you’re not keen on paying full price for an item, nothing is stopping you from negotiating with a member of staff. The worst they can do is say no. Cashiers often have the power to give 10% off if you ask at checkout, so it can’t hurt to give it a go. ‘
Negotiate A Discount If The Order Is Wrong Or Item Is Damaged
Danielle L said: ‘I usually haggle when they've messed up an order or something.’ Richard W added: ‘I've haggled for cars, watches, internet providers. I sometimes get something off in a supermarket if the box is damaged.’ Amy L shared: ‘I got an extra 10% off of a final reduction at TK Maxx, because the item had fake tan on it and needed washing before use. Half a bottle of Vanish, and a medium wash, good as new.’ Sara C was also successful: ‘I managed to get a discount on Amazon because there were parts missing and the offer had ended so I couldn't exchange. Had to speak to the supervisor though.’
Tom added: ‘Sale items get tried on the most. This means there’s the highest chance of it being stained with make-up, or damaged. So check the clothing more than normal. If you see a mark you have a choice: leave it, or try to bag an extra discount at checkout. Often, cashiers have the power to give a further discount of up to 10%.’
Be Nice To Employees - Get Delivery Costs Knocked Off In IKEA
Sometimes all you have to do is be nice to people and you could be rewarded. Rebekah W said: ‘I used to work in the Bargain Corner section at IKEA and you absolutely can haggle there! We obviously couldn't go crazy with reductions but the nicer you are the more likely we were to further reduce things. It was also pretty common to reduce the equivalent of delivery if the customer was buying multiple large products from that section (eg, if a customer bought a bed frame, mattress, dining table and fridge freezer we'd happily take off the price of delivery if that customer was also friendly and polite).’
Sarah M was in agreement : ‘Definitely depends on the shop - I work for Boots now and they definitely don’t allow any form of haggling (our tills wouldn’t allow it), but I used to work for H Samuel and they would give you 10% if you were particularly nice. The manager would always say ‘are they nice’ before letting you give it.’
Pick Your Shops Carefully - Get £150 Off Computers & 10% Off Perfume Multibuys
It probably isn’t worth trying to get money off a 50p tin of beans, but if you’re in the market for new technology or furniture there is a good opportunity to negotiate a deal. Ben A said: ‘Certainly at furniture shops, expensive good shops etc there is room to haggle. I have only done it twice, once at PC World where I got about £150 and a ream of paper off a computer system and the other at The Perfume Shop where I bought 3 bottles, asked if they had any 3 for 2 offers which they didn't but got a 10%.’
Tom added: ‘When you make it clear you’re in the market to make a big purchase, staff members will often have the ability to negotiate a discount up to a certain amount. They will want to ensure they make a sale, so it’s well worth testing the waters and seeing how much they are willing to bend on the original price.’
Take A Risk & Embarrass Your Friends - Get Them Free Headphones
If you’re not confident enough to try it yourself, try shopping with a friend or family member who can negotiate on your behalf. Gill T said: ‘I’m a bit shy when it comes to haggling, but after I watched a documentary about it I got all hyped up. When my friend bought a sound bar in Currys, I was like ‘And what will you throw in with that?’ [My friend] was mortified, but the guy went away and came back with some headphones….’
Tom added: ‘Haggling takes a certain level of confidence, so if you’re not quite ready to do it yourself it’s worth having someone with you to show you how it’s done! Hopefully once you’ve seen them successfully negotiate a discount, you’ll be inspired to give it a go yourself.’
Make A Strong Case - Get £5 Off A Dog Grooming Treatment
Employees are still human beings, so sometimes you can play the sympathy card and see if you get lucky. Nikki H said: ‘My husband tries his luck anywhere. He took the dog to the groomers once and said do I get any discount as the dog only has 3 legs and they actually knocked a fiver off it!’ Anna H chipped in: ‘I once jokingly asked a store owner of a small independent bookstore if I got a discount for being poor - he gave me a 10% discount!’
Sometimes you can grab a discount simply by being a loyal customer. Siobhan M said: ‘I emailed a store and asked for a discount, said I've been a customer for many years and never once received any form of discount or promotion. I asked for a 20% discount and that's just what they gave me, definitely worth asking.’
Try Different Techniques & Be Patient - Get £22 Off A Currys Shop
Haggling won’t always be successful, but being persistent and patient will pay off. Barry D said: ‘Some stores will give discounts depending on how you go about it and different circumstances. I've had discounts at various stores, including Currys, B&Q, Aldi and local retailers. I used to work for Currys and know every sales person has a percentage of their sales as a discount to play with. A month ago, I bought a soundbar and asked if I bought from there would they be able to give me an optical cable cheap. They discounted the £22 cost off the total. This was not the Currys I used to work at either.’
Dean C shared a similar experience: ‘Well I’ve worked in Harrods, Liberty, M&S, Debenhams and Carphone Warehouse, and I gave discounts in all of them. OK, you wouldn’t get a discount in ALL departments and not all customers that asked got a discount, but it is possible and does happen.’
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Haggling should never be regarded as a battle, but more of a civilised negotiation which leaves both sides happy.
An example: In 2004 I was buying (using a debit card) a new guitar it was £400 - I knew I could easily have got a 10% discount taking the price down to £360 but instead asked the store owner if he'd throw a hard shell case in, he readily agreed the case had a retail price of about £70 but I knew at wholesale price cost the store owner less than the 10% discount he would readily have agreed to.
Work it out... I got much more in goods than a ten percent discount on both items would have amounted to - he made more profit than he would have if he'd just given a ten per cent discount on the guitar.
He was happy - I was happy (and even happier about four years ago when I found I could have sold that guitar for over £1,000 - without the case
).
Sometimes good natured negotiation can work too.
Some time back I saw pies marked at "two for a pound" I only wanted one (I'm not greedy). So I asked "how much is one?" I was told "sixty pence" I took forty pence from my pocket, put it on the counter and innocently and politely asked "can I have the other one?" I got it too - those shop assistants need something to brighten their weary days.