Haggling may seem daunting but you can save a lot of money.
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What is fair to haggle for?
Research from TopCashback reveals that only 30% of us regularly negotiate during a purchase, even though 75% of us don't like paying full price for an item.
Embarassment is the biggest haggling hurdle (73%), with almost half believing they won't haggle effectively.
To maximise your chances of success, it is vital that you know when it’s appropriate to haggle. If you ask an independent butcher for a discount on a single leg of lamb, you’ll probably get a dirty look.
If you are buying a large quantity of meat all at once, stocking up for the next few months, then you’re in haggling territory.
To put it simply, don’t be ridiculous when you suggest a price. If all your meat adds up to a cost of £75, you’re not going to impress anyone by offering £50. Politely suggest what you think is reasonable – this really depends on what you’re buying!
People are individuals, and where one might shrug and say “go on then,” or come back with an alternative offer, it might get some else’s back up.
If they seem particularly frustrated, it might be best to drop the haggling, but most people will at least politely hear you out. If they come back with a figure of their own, after a bit of back-and-forth you’ll reach a sensible middle ground.
If you’re spending the same and getting more, that’s also haggling. If you were to ask the butcher in our example to throw in a few sausages for tonight’s tea alongside a large purchase, they might oblige you – and may feel far more comfortable doing this than giving you a cash discount on your original purchase.
To maximise your chances of success, it is vital that you know when it’s appropriate to haggle. If you ask an independent butcher for a discount on a single leg of lamb, you’ll probably get a dirty look. If you are buying a large quantity of meat all at once, stocking up for the next few months, then you’re in haggling territory.
To put it simply, don’t be ridiculous when you suggest a price. If all your meat adds up to a cost of £75, you’re not going to impress anyone by offering £50. Politely suggest what you think is reasonable – this really depends on what you’re buying!
People are individuals, and where one might shrug and say “go on then,” or come back with an alternative offer, it might get some else’s back up. If they seem particularly frustrated, it might be best to drop the haggling, but most people will at least politely hear you out.
If they come back with a figure of their own, after a bit of back-and-forth you’ll reach a sensible middle ground.
If you’re spending the same and getting more, that’s also haggling. If you were to ask the butcher in our example to throw in a few sausages for tonight’s tea alongside a large purchase, they might oblige you – and may feel far more comfortable doing this than giving you a cash discount on your original purchase.
Be friendly and polite when haggling
You can’t expect people to do something nice for you if you act entitled and are rude. Be confident and smile, but don’t be arrogant and demanding.
The person doing the selling has a living to make, and they’re not going to hand out freebies or discounts to everyone who asks.
Even if you have developed a good rapport, you can’t expect to have everything you want all of the time. So don’t get haughty if you’re told no.
Having said this, you have nothing to lose either. Keep a smile on your face, be friendly and make the effort to chat while you shop.
People will like you more and therefore be more inclined to offer you better deals. This is true of pretty much everywhere you go, from small-time market traders to massive furniture retailers.
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Buy in bulk
How to haggle when buying a car
Keep quiet
Keep an eye out for damage
"I’m leaving"
Haggling success stories
When haggling goes right, you can get some brilliant results.
loveMONEY senior writer Reena Sewraz got money off her broadband after being firm with Sky:
“I called Sky to cancel my TV and broadband deal and see what they could offer me for fibre broadband instead. At first they just quoted the standard deal available to new customers of £22.40 a month with a set up cost of £36.95 for 12 months.
But I said I wasn’t impressed with that deal as a customer of three years. That’s all it took for them to them offer a deal of £17.99 a month with no set up cost instead. I saved £89.87 on the deal.”
Find out more about How to reduce your Sky bill.
This article is regularly updated