Haggling - it's not just for flea markets anymore.
"My wife thinks I am nuts, as I view retail prices as list [prices] that are quite negotiable," says Richard Hughen, vice president for sales and marketing at CSA Medical Inc., a Baltimore-based medical technology company. "Many times they, in fact, are."
With the weak economy persuading more people to shop hard for bargains, many seem to be resorting to good old-fashioned haggling. Not only is technology making it easier, thanks to Web sites that make comparison shopping a breeze, but some stores are even taking tiny steps to encourage it.
And it's the big-ticket technology toys that seem to be targeted most often. While a random sampling of local consumers saw a willingness to try to bargain down prices on a host of objects, everything from computers to refrigerators, most seem to aim their haggling at high-tech items. And they're finding some surprising results.
"I've been to plenty of third-world countries; I know how haggling works there," says Yair Flicker, co-founder of Baltimore-based SmartLogic Solutions, a software and consulting firm. "It seems to be this big secret that people don't know about, that you can actually go to these big-name stores and work out a price."
Flicker, who was in the market for a pair of big-screen plasma TVs, went to a local Best Buy ready to barter. He ended up getting $250 knocked off the $3,700 price tag. Not a lot, percentage-wise, but $250 is $250.
"The original guy wasn't that helpful," he says. "But if the first guy can't help you, then speak to the manager. Obviously, [managers are] going to have more leeway over what they can do with the price."
It helps to do your homework beforehand. Sometimes, it's enough just to ask. But other times, the clincher is being able to say that you saw the same or a similar item elsewhere for a lesser price. Few things help persuade a retailer to negotiate faster than the fear of losing a sale.
"They'll try to find you something that will save you money if they see you walking," says Chicago-based Realtor Dean Moss, who last month posted an exhortation on blogchicagohomes.com titled "Dicker, Dicker, Dicker! Do you?"
"It's just a matter of simply asking," says Moss, who said he recently saved about 10 percent on a TV purchase simply by broaching the subject of a discount. "Most people are just embarrassed to do so; they feel it makes them look poor. But in recent months, people are doing it a little bit more. I think people are becoming a little more cost-conscious."
