DICKER, DICKER, DICKER! Do You?
TODAY, MORE SHOPPERS TRY TO NEGOTIATE DISCOUNTS ON NEARLY EVERY PURCHASE!
Quick question for you - when you picked up your Dry Cleaning today, did you try to negotiate a better price?
You had coffee today at the corner shop you have visited every morning for the last three years. Did you ask for a scone with your drink . . . gratis?
That cell phone store, where you've purchased your entire staff cell phones within the last 3 months? Have you called to ask for some free accessories?
No, you say?
Well . . . why not? You have certainly proven your loyalty to these small businesses, and the local owners certainly don't want to lose you as a customer, do they? Perhaps they might offer you a little deal!
Although haggling is a way of life in many countries, it has not taken off here in North America as it has elsewhere. Why not? Perhaps many Americans feel it to be demeaning, beneath them. Even a sign of neediness to try to negotiate.
Of course, most business people negotiate every single day - for advertising, supplies, salaries on new hires, and the like. Most everyone negotiates, or thinks they are negotiating, the best price on a new or used vehicle. But beyond that, here in the U.S. - very little.
Michael Lee, in his 2007 book Black Belt Negotiating (American Management Association) summarizes a different approach in more affluent countries. Here, in America, we consumers often have more money than time. In other places, the opposite is true - buyers have more time than money.
Think back to your last trip to Mexico, or the Caribbean, or Asia. Someone tries to sell you a trinket or souvenir at a market, or on the street. If you pay what they ask without resistance or negotiation - the vendor laughs all the way to the bank, and talks about it all day with his fellow vendors!
Now, however, especially in light of the recent economic downturn, more Americans are haggling for merchandise than they may have ever haggled! According to a survey conducted by BI Gresearch last April, roughly half of U.S. Consumers are attempting to negotiate better prices on everything from car repairs to electronics and appliance purchases. A recent British survey nearly 60% of those responding said they are more likely to price negotiate now than they were six months ago.
One Chicago Musician, Eli Blair, who performs under the stage name "Ellie May," recently worked out a better deal on a $499 bass at Guitar Center. She ended up paying $410 for the instrument, and even got the sales person to throw in a $100 hard case as part of the package!
"All you have to do is ask," advised Blair.
Margot Bogue, Senior Vice President of Cramer-Krasselt Advertising here in Chicago, sees more consumers gaining the confidence to negotiate every day purchases. The firm is suggesting its clients adopt a more flexible, employee-empowered pricing structure, to give their customers the psychological and economic "victory" they now crave when they buy.
The rise of the Internet has fueled buyer confidence in price negotiation on every day or special-purchase items. Online shoppers can perform detailed price research on virtually every available product before entering a store. Many stores, including Home Depot, Best Buy, and Ritz Camera, have low price guarantees, and empower their own front-line employees to discount prices, to a certain degree, to complete a sale.
Buying merchandise online? Here's a money-saving tip: before you hit the "Confirm Purchase" button on an e-tailer website, open up another browser window and Google discounts for the item you are considering. For example, entering "HP Discounts" can provide a whole list of discount coupon codes that you can then cut and paste into the "Enter Promotional Code" box on most websites. The potential savings - anything from Free Shipping, to perhaps as much as 25% off your total purchase.
Again, you never know until you try!
Even beleaguered U.S. Auto Maker General Motors, with their recently-publicized "Employee Pricing for Everyone" promotion started many to ask for the "Employee Price" at other retailers as well. Most retailers have some sort of "Employee Discount," and, in order to make a sale, many store managers will give buyers who ask for it a similar discount.
Of course, there are variances on negotiating tactics.
One Maryland resident recently negotiated down the price of a steak dinner at a restaurant, and got considerable discounts on several women's clothing stores. Another Chicago shopper looks for "scratch and dent" or "worn" items, and works a good deal over the defect.
One lady from the Chicago Suburb of Wilmette IL saved $200 on a mattress, box spring, bed frame, and delivery by threatening to walk out of an American Mattress store. The same lady negotiated an upgrade to a more expensive carpet at a Lowe's store, using the same drama.
Abt Electronics of Glenview IL has been serving the Chicago area for over 70 years, and prides itself on offering the best price and free delivery. Abt is the largest single-store appliance and electronics retailer in the U.S.
Even so, however, Abt General Manager Marc Cook is willing to negotiate, within reason, to complete a sale. "If people have a reasonable request when it comes to pricing, we would rather have them leave satisfied than spend money on gas going elsewhere," said Cook. "But we're looking for them to be as reasonable as they are looking for us to be."
Read more on "The Rise of the Neo-Haggler" in Susan Chandler and Wailin Wong's story in the October 19th edition of the Chicago Tribune.
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