Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
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Paul Nelson, KSL NewsradioConsumer analysts say there is something most shoppers can do to get a discount on whatever they buy. They say it's actually very easy to do, if you have the stomach for haggling.
"Can I have a discount?"
Apparently, it's just that simple. You just need to ask.
RC Willey Vice President Over Stores Dave Cook said, "We don't put a false price up and then you negotiate. It really isn't fair if your neighbor buys it for a lower price than you do."
Cook says it's much better long-term to promote the product at the lowest price possible. He holds tough to his "no-haggle" philosophy. I tried to break him.
"I'll pay you 50 bucks for a 50-inch plasma screen TV. Can you hook me up? I'm willing to go as high as $125," I told him.
"They're probably going to be more money than $125," Cook told me.
"That's my cap, Dave," I said.
"Maybe in 20, 25 years they may be at that price. I don't know what the future holds," he answered.
Cook says they really don't need to haggle. They have their "low price guarantee" which matches pretty much any other deal you can find. RC Willey is not alone. Other large retail chains don't bargain with customers either, and salesmen are not given really any flexibility to lower prices. However, you may have better luck at a small store.
Bradley's Furniture Etc. Manager Evan Lee said, "We are willing to, on some items, haggle, if you want to call it that."
Lee says they will bargain, but only on high-ticket items. He says it's not worth anyone's time to save maybe two dollars on a scented candle.
"Generally speaking, anything over $1,000, I'm willing to play ball," he said.
"It really depends on what it is you're looking at. Because I may have a sofa on the floor that's $1,000, and I may have another one that's $1,000, and on one of them I may have nothing to give, and another one I may have $100 to give," he explained.
Lee says they can't haggle every time because the store will lose money and be forced to close. However, if you want to haggle on price, Consumer Reports says you should offer to use cash, talk with a manager if the salesman won't haggle, and gauge the need of the seller. So, don't go in demanding a lower price on a Nintendo Wii. There are plenty of other people who will pay full price.
