Looking to pay a lower price? Just ask

[Somechic]

While this article doesn't mention automobile shopping, I thought it was interesting. Please share your stories of negotiating a better price for non-vehicle related purchases.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Looking for a lower price on that DVD player at Sears or that refrigerator at Lowe's Cos Inc? Ask for one and you just might get it.
More than 90 percent of shoppers who tried to negotiate a discount on furniture, electronics and appliances, floor and demonstration models, and medical bills got one on at least one purchase in the past three years, according to a new survey conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center.

"You can't bully people into giving you a lower price," he said. "You have to be diplomatic."

For full article, follow this link http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071001/us_nm/...ports_haggle_dc

[eagle33199]

Last March, I went into Circuit City to look at TV's... Walked out of there with a 60-inch Sony for 40% of list, a free TV stand, preassembled (pretty nice looking, matches the TV great), a 28-inch LCD for 50%, and a free wall mounting bracket. I got all of that by starting off telling the lady that i was just starting to look around and wanted to get some more info on what they had, but didn't really want to buy just yet... after 15 minutes talking with her, i had her hooked Once they spend a non-trivial amount of time with a customer, they really just want to make the sale, and it gets a lot easier to manipulate them into a lower price.

Plus, i got free financing for a year on those items, so i haven't paid anything yet. Yes, it's technically "debt" that i owe them, which i generally frown upon, but the money to pay it off has been sitting in a savings account earning interest since the day i made the purchase, untouched. To me, that makes it a good kind of debt, one that actually pays me back a little bit.

[galaxee]

i wish we had better luck negotiating with the medical bills! we did get his chiropractor to accept a $30 copay instead of $40 for a while, until we could no longer afford to go 3-4x a week, then she got mad at us. go figure.

when we bought furniture in 04 we got a free pair of table lamps in the deal and free delivery, just for asking.

often i will call my credit card company and complain about my interest rate. last time i called, they dropped me to a pretty low, fixed rate.

but we don't do much shopping lately so i guess that's all i've got.

[daniel]

Many years ago, probably two or three decades, I wanted a jogging treadmill. There was one at Sears, a floor demo, of a model they were no longer carrying. It was discounted, but still too expensive for me. My father, a very smart businessman, was visiting, and he told me to offer about 2/3 of their asking price. I did, and after pretending to consult her supervisor, the saleslady accepted my offer. I'd never have known how much to offer. Too little and they'd have refused. Too much and I'd have over-paid. I used the treadmill for about ten years, allowing me to jog when the road was ice- or snow-covered in winter, and when it was raining in summer. When I sold my house in rural North Dakota to move to Mexico to study Spanish, the treadmill went with the house. I have a different one now. Good treadmills are a lot cheaper now than they were in the 1970's.

[SSimon]

Wow. I have much to learn in life. I never thought to haggle with retailers. Thought their price was typically fixed, excepting cars and what not. Gotta start getting my game on.

I won't have much time to work on technique as I don't shop for stuff typically. But when I do, they better look out!

[efusco]

When we purchased appliances for our lake home I told the guy at Lowe's that we'd buy all of our appliances there if they'd give me 10% off. I explained that Home Depot was offering 10% off if I got their credit card(which I didn't want/need) but I prefered to use Lowe's if they could match the 10%. They jumped right on it and basically got one of the appliances for free.

I think you have to pick and choose your spots with these things and try to have some leverage, but floor/demo models when you notice that all the regular stock is gone are good places to ask for discounts. When other stores are having a sale on the same or similar item, even if there's not a formal price-matching policy like many stores have, etc.

[moxiequz]

Similar to what galaxee mentioned about the interest rates, this is also holds true for getting certain bank fees waived or eliminated. One time I accidentally overdrew my Wells Fargo checking account because I forgot (dumb, dumb) about a sizeable check I wrote that month that pushed the balance down. I ended up with $66.00 in overdraft charges. I called WF and asked if they could waive the fees this one time and they agreed. Never hurts to ask. The worst they can do is say "no".