Oh how I despise HAGGLERS!

[CrazedClerkthe2nd]

So there's quite a few "pro consumer" bloggers and sites out there heavily promoting this new idea that stores are more open to haggling/negotiating prices because of the current economic conditions, even providing recommendations on the best ways to do it.

There's a post over on consumerist.com about this very thing right now.

Unfortunately haggling annoys me to no end.

I work at a games store, our entire revenue comes from games, we have no other profit streams. Just games. This essentially means NO HAGGLING. Some SCs just don't get it.

SC: Hey any chance I can get a deal on this 360?
Me: Sorry, the price is the price.
SC: But Wal-mart has it for $50 less! (flashes flier in my face)
Me: I see that but we don't price match.
SC: How about $20 off?
Me: Nope, can't do it.
SC: $15?
Me:GRRRR NO. Look we don't price match or negotiate prices at all, if you want this item there's only one price you'll be paying for it.

SC: Hey any way I can get a discount on this? joeselectronics.com has it for $15 less.
Me: We don't price match.
SC: Ok how about just 10% off?
Me: Sorry, we do not price match or negotiate prices.
SC: Well in that case I don't want it. *stomps off*

SC: Hey can I get a discount on this? The box is a bit damaged.
(now we do allow these discounts sometimes, but it's only a flat %10 and only at MY discretion)
Me: Where?
SC: Right here. (points to a spot on the box where there is a very tiny mark, barely noticeable)
Me: Um, where?
SC: Right HERE! (points more furiously at same spot)
Me: That's a just a tiny mark sir, you can barely see it.
SC: But this box is damaged, I deserve a discount.
Me: The box is not damaged sir, there's a big difference between "damaged" and "has a small, nearly invisible mark on it"
SC: So you won't give me a discount?
Me: Nope.
SC: Fine. *grumbles and leaves*

or I get this.

Me: The box is a little damaged, I'll give you a 10% discount on it.
SC: Can I get 25%?
Me: No, only %10
SC: 20%? I've been waiting in line a long time.
Me: Look, I can only give ONE type of discount for this situation and that's 10%, now do you want the item or not?
SC: *begrudgingly* I guess so...

Somehow I suspect I'm going to have this problem for awhile.

[ShinyGreenApple]

Just because the box is a bit dinged up, doesn't mean the product inside is any less valuable. It's just people being cheap. My Dad's a truck driver and he's brought home all kinds of perfectly good food and paper products; the companies rejected them because the boxes were dented or torn. Ah well, better for the drivers' families, anyways

[I_Hate_SCs]

Ugh, I hate hagglers too. They seem to think a retail store is a flea market and every price tag is a suggestion, not a fact. They won't take no for an answer and think asking you the same 'please give me more off' questions that you already said 'no' to will magically make you give in and agree to the cheaper price. I had this one encounter with this guy in the baby car seat aisle that was a war story a few years ago on a previous incarnation of this forum that has been long lost (I'll repost it in a new topic soon as I feel it is time to let newer forum members know how bad a haggler could be!) He was possibly the 2nd worst customer I had while working in retail. Look for the post in a little while on here!

[blas]

The best instance of haggling that I can think of (other than some ridiculous senior citizens at the grocery store and overly entitled spoiled regular customers at the gas station) was at the Deb Shop. We had an "As Is" rack. Meaning there were jeans with broken zippers, shirts missing a button or two, etc etc etc etc....and they were already at a ridiculously low price, but no one ever seemed to comprehend that AS IS meant that there were flaws with the clothes, and they were priced accordingly (aka, CHEAP enough!) and that was that. There was no trickery involved. The flaw was pointed out right on the price tag in plain English and the price was set accordingly.

People would want the jeans with the broken zipper cheaper. Because the zipper was broken

[wraiths_crono]

service business also have this problem:

Sign on the wall: Prices non negotiable, and all sales are final

Guess how many people want to give me what they 'feel' it should have cost to rebuild their entire pc?

OH and people wanting money back for stupid things like: Well the case is just TOO shiny... (Right, YOU picked it out not me....)

[smileyeagle1021]

Oh, if you think you have it bad in retail... should try being at a hotel... travel sites and articles and even word of mouth have been telling people who to haggle rates at hotels sense my mother's first road trip when she used some of the haggling tricks. Now it is possible to haggle at a hotel without being sucky (hell, if my occupancy is low I'm more than happy to haggle if it gets a head in the bed and I'm still getting more revenue than cost). That said, when I tell you I can't do less... I truly mean it. At a moderately high occupancy I can honestly say that I can't do discounts because the cost of renting that room is too high for us... our housekeepers are paid by room, not by hour... they are paid overtime after 18 rooms... so if I have 4 housekeepers I no longer give discounts after 78 rooms are occupied (I know some of you are saying 4 times 18 does not equal 78... you're right, because we can get up to 6 rooms cleaned by the head housekeeper who is salaried). On a really busy night I'm also not willing to give discounts because I know that as soon as you hang up there will be someone calling willing to pay full price... and the more revenue I can get the hotel by waiting for the guy paying full price, the better the odds of me getting a pay raise or a year end bonus

[Dreamstalker]

Maybe it's just me, but in a situation like this haggling is one of the last things buyers should do. Yes, if something is obviously damaged and the retailer wants to give a discount sure, but I'd never think of arguing over something like a slight scratch/tear on a box that I'm likely going to throw out anyway.

[I_Hate_SCs]

Maybe it's just me, but in a situation like this haggling is one of the last things buyers should do. Yes, if something is obviously damaged and the retailer wants to give a discount sure, but I'd never think of arguing over something like a slight scratch/tear on a box that I'm likely going to throw out anyway.

I agree. I'd happily give a customer a 10% discount on an item if it had a visible defect, like a scratch or even a chip if its a vase or something, but I won't negotiate a price just because the customer thinks he or she could get a better deal just because they blessed the earth with their appearance in the store today!

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

So there's quite a few "pro consumer" bloggers and sites out there heavily promoting this new idea that stores are more open to haggling/negotiating prices because of the current economic conditions, even providing recommendations on the best ways to do it.

The people who write these articles have never worked a day of retail in their lives.

Fortunately, at my store we don't give in to hagglers.

[I_Hate_SCs]

The people who write these articles have never worked a day of retail in their lives.

Fortunately, at my store we don't give in to hagglers.

Oh, I can only imagine the tactics these blogs say---probably things like "And even when the store manager refuses your haggling, you can definitely get them to change their mind with _____." Some people just don't know when they should give up while they are ahead!

[Shamus]

I have customers often asking if we price-match, and some less-than-honest ones actually claim that they've received such discounts in the past at my store. I know that's not true, and the supervisors ultimately always shoot down those requests.

The damaged goods argument works differently for us. If it's broken, it does not get sold - period. But, of course, the hagglers will find damaged items, some even damaging them themselves, and try that nonsense. I take joy in knowing that those types of scammers never see their plans work out.

[HorrorFrogPrincess]

.

Me: The box is a little damaged, I'll give you a 10% discount on it.
SC: Can I get 25%?
Me: No, only %10
SC: 20%? I've been waiting in line a long time.

Well, since you're special, I'll give you 2% off instead of 10. Now don't you feel precious?

[malmalthekiller]

We price match at my store, but we do need proof of it. You can't just come in the store and say you saw it somewhere else at x.xx price.

Also, we don't match the price of our online prices. Obviously, that sale is online for a reason, because it's cheaper to buy from a website than from a store. Get over it.

[DevilBoy]

Just because the box is a bit dinged up, doesn't mean the product inside is any less valuable.

EXACTLY

That is why things come in a box to begin with... so in the unfortunate event that it gets jarred, bumped or even dropped... the box will get dinged up and not whatever is inside of it.

[Kiwi]

I personally dont have a problem with someone asking me for a discount... if they behave themselves.

1. If your going to ask just because, do it ONCE and politely

2. If the product is damaged, and by the product I dont mean the box dont expect miracles. I can only give you the discount that my boss told me.

At the craft store my manager got so sick of hagglers she actually ordered us to take the damaged item off them and we would send it back to the manufactuer for a credit rather than discount the item. That REALLY upset the hagglers but it was getting out of hand and customers were purposely damaging stuff to get things for less.

3. If we are out of a sale item, I cant give you something close to it at a discount. We do not bait and switch. At the craft store we got X number of sale item. Once it was gone it is GONE.

4. Dont be rude, impatient, or snarky with me. Floor staff at my store were not allowed to give discounts willy nilly we had to get manager approval and although my job wasnt the best and only paid just above minimum wage it is still not worth losing it over saving you a measley 10%.

4. Help me, help you. If you are a regular who treats me like a human being and who pays my wages by buying stuff and not returning crap all the time, I am MUCH more likely to plead your case to my manager. If this is the first time I've seen your catbutt face and you tell me how much you hate this store/my coworkers attitude/ immigrants/yourself then I wont do anything to help you at all.

But go ahead and ask me, if you ask me nicely and just once I might just save you something.