New York Times runs article advising people on how to be an SC.

[LifeCarnie]

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/23/bu...prod=permalink

My favorite piece of advice, "threaten to go to a competitor.". Yeah, because THAT works.

[donruss]

I never haggle at stores. I'm just not good at it and I always thought that the marked price was the price of the item. If you think its too expensive, go somewhere else or DON'T BUY IT!!!

[JLRodgers]

Oh that's just what the people need to know.... People used to try and haggle for items that were so cheap you couldn't buy the parts for less ("lazy susan" like thing with 2ftx3ft plywood on top [the two held together by a visible screw or four]: $0.99 -- people tried to get it for a quarter, and it was already $3 below OUR cost!)

That article's going to do nothing but make retail worker's lives hell -- and the managers at the store. People are going to expect 20-50% off of goods, and not realize that their "discount" is either the store's entire profit for the item, or the store's going to be losing money. Then they'll all wonder why stores are letting people go -- or better yet, why the prices are being increased by 25% or more.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

A raspberry to Home Depot for encouraging haggling at their stores, and a raspberry to the New York Times for publishing the story, because now we can expect a new wave of entitlement twits who probably make enough to purchase the item at full price anyhow.

“If you get denied once, go looking for someone else who looks nice,” said Mr. Stinchfield, who now works for the federal government in Washington.

I only look nice. *pounds fist into palm of his other hand

[Rine]

I don't mind most hagglers I get--it all depends on how they practice the art. If they are nice, I'll do everything in my power to get a lower price. Assholes and entitlement jerks? Nope, sorry, and I'll make sure the word gets passed to my co-workers so you can't go get a lower price from them.

Honestly...most of the time hagglers get like 10% off an item...not very much for most items. They leave thinking they got a great deal and I'm like..."haha, we only paid 10 dollars for that and sold it to you for 30! Mwhahaha."

[tropicsgoddess]

Haggling and threatening to go to the competition oooh I'm so scared (sarcasm), never works unless the manager is a spineless wuss. A little OT, but I once had a SC (a real cheapskate) during my restaurant days haggle one of the waitresses over the price of the soup. She told him no and (thankfully) management backed her up on it.

[gunsage]

So let me get this straight...a New York paper is telling people to be rude. Didn't see that coming. Probably because my glasses were off.

[draggar]

Yeah, $1100 off of two TVs from P. C. Richard & Son. I guess that's like bragging that you witted a three year old out of his toy. I guess he didn't see that they were most likely $1500-$2000 cheaper at Best Buy?

[DesignFox]

I love hagglers. They get shown the door, and I go back to watching TV or drooling half asleep at the computer screen.

Fuckwits.

If someone is nice and certain circumstances come together, I'll work something out for them. If that person is a loyal, meaning REPEAT, customer, I'll work out price cuts. Sometimes, the person doesn't even have to ask... Hey, I like polite people who don't bicker with me.

If they are some schmuck with an "I'll just order it from the internet" attitude... and don't let the door hit you in the fanny. I need to make a living and that kind of BS wastes my time and potentially loses me a sale.

But then, my business allows for some leeway in pricing. Going into a department store and arguing with a sales rep is downright rude. Some people need to put a fucking crowbar into their wallet and knock off the shenanigans. Sheesh- if you can't afford it, don't buy it!

[draggar]

If they are some schmuck with an "I'll just order it from the internet" attitude... and don't let the door hit you in the fanny. I need to make a living and that kind of BS wastes my time and potentially loses me a sale.

Good luck with the return! Internet companies RARELY pay for shipping on returns.

[edible_hat]

I offer hagglers a special offer: One for the price of three.

[myswtghst]

I actually did appreciate that they pointed this out:

Rather than retaining customers, the rise in haggling is making shoppers highly price-conscious and loyal ultimately to the least expensive offer, not to a brand or a retailer.

Because I think this is the problem - the big bosses don't seem in touch with reality enough to realize that this is what they're doing.

[Dreamstalker]

“This is one of the periods where the customer is empowered,” Mr. Morris said. “The retailer knows that the customer is enduring tough times — and is more willing to be the one who blinks first in that stare-down match.”

Oh hells bells, not the "empowered" whiners. The retailer is having a tougher time than the customer is, most likely. A customer can likely do without the shiny widget, the retailer needs to pay rent, suppliers and wages. The situation is likely more dire for smaller stores (and if the owner/manager is likely to cave to these tactics, even worse).

Why are some online prices so low? There is much less overhead (if not none) like brick-and-mortar stores have.

[JLRodgers]

The duplicate post that was made about this reminided me that I even have a blog post about this -- it'll never see the light of day since the search terms will bring up how to "scam" the stores into better deals though... oh, and wrote to the paper that published that article.

Nothing will come of it, but at least I feel better

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

And now Yahoo is on the bandwagon encouraging people to become SCs...oops, I mean "smart shoppers"

http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/hughes/25219