Haggle while Christmas shopping: 5 tips
Most of us love a deal, especially when we go shopping for the holidays. We sift through weekly circulars, clip coupons, browse daily deal sites, and visit various stores looking for that killer deal.
But instead of just聽looking聽for a better deal, why not ask for one? We鈥檝e mentioned it before in posts like "The Simplest Way to Save on Everything." But in case you missed it, here are the basics.
1. Don鈥檛 be afraid to ask
According to a recent聽CouponCabin 聽of 2,319 shoppers, 23 percent of respondents said they鈥檙e too embarrassed to haggle and 10 percent refuse to haggle because they don鈥檛 want to appear cheap.
The key to successful haggling is focusing on the fact that it鈥檚 your money. There鈥檚 no need to be embarrassed, there鈥檚 no need to fear appearing cheap. Prepare yourself by having a firm idea of the item鈥檚 price. Then decide what you鈥檙e willing to spend, and go for it!
2. Talk to the right person
If you walk into a department store and ask an associate for a better price, they鈥檒l typically say they don鈥檛 have the authority to make those decisions. They鈥檙e probably right 鈥� ask for someone who does. If you can鈥檛 find a manager or other store employee with the ability or willingness to negotiate, the store may be too big. Head to a local shop or boutique, where you can often talk directly to the owner. Which brings us to our next tip鈥�
3. Know where to shop
You鈥檒l have a better shot at a deal if you shop at an independent retailer or second-hand store.聽Small Business Saturday, which American Express introduced in 2010 to encourage shoppers to support their local community businesses, occurs on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. While haggling might be possible on Black Friday, you鈥檒l find more luck negotiating when hitting the local shops on Small Business Saturday 鈥� or year-round.
4. Be aware of the best times to negotiate
Haggle on weekdays and afternoons when stores are less crowded and sales associates and managers have more free time.聽It鈥檚 also better to ask for a bargain at the end of the month or shopping season, when shop owners are closing their books or clearing shelves for new merchandise.
5. Don鈥檛 be afraid to walk away
Negotiating is a subtle human art that鈥檚 been around as long as people have. Like any art, there are different approaches. But there are a few that have proven consistently better than others. For example, appear in love with the product and the person on other side of a negotiation knows you鈥檒l pay full price. Be rude, and people won鈥檛 want to talk to you at all, much less negotiate. Act like you鈥檙e only kidding, and the merchant will assume you are.
Want the best deal? Act uninterested and be willing to walk away. Be nice, but firm. Look your opponent directly, and tell them with complete confidence what you expect. You might be surprised at the result!
Dori Zinn is a writer for聽, a consumer/personal finance TV news feature that airs in about 80 cities as well as around the Web. This column first appeared in Money Talks News.
