Have we forgotten how to bargain?

B

Banking2006

Registered User
Messages
170
I got some experience of bargaining in my job with a role i had for a few months and now i can't stop!

- Mortgage- down by over 1000 per year
- Mortgage Protection- saved 200 per year
- Car Insurance- quote was cheapest from current provider- but got 40
euro additional off by 'bluffing'!
- Advertising- got 50% of an already discounted rate
- etc etc

Do we need to go back to the olden days and get a bargain
 
Fair play.

You're right - a lot of people seem to find it embarrassing or demeaning to bargain. Almost as if it implies they are poor or something. Almost every commercial quotation/pricing structure has built-in leeway for bargaining.

I would bargain in nearly every situation and like you, have made reasonable savings all round.

I think BTW that we have also forgotten how to complain (properly) - but that's another story...
 
Can I just say here that it really annoys me in my business when people try to bargain! I try to give the best price I can to everyone and then someone tries to bargain... So do I put the prices up in the first place to allow for bargaining and make my price look less competitive?

Also - I think you need CHARM to be able to bargain well! Some people I just say no to straight away because I don't like their attitude. And others you can't help saying yes to because they know how to work the charm!
 

Are u a car salesman by any chance? And why do you find it annoying? Would you not do the same?
 
Hi Moondance

I agree totally- if your prices are more than competitive- then it would be crazy to bargain with you- there is a baseline! So well done on that- and i'm sure clients love doing business with you knowing that they are not getting ripped off.

I am suggesting we bargain more re. financial services type products- where high premiums and commissions are being taken by the sellers. I think i am in the minority at the moment- but everyone needs to wake up and make their euros work harder.
 
No, I work in printing. It's a small business and we always keep our margins fairly tight to try and be competitive against larger companies.

I've just stated in my previous post why I find it annoying!

I might chance my arm when it comes to insurance but if I was in a shop buying a dress or something then no I wouldn't try to bargain.
 

Not the most "charming" of replies. And you are contradicting yourself: on one hand you say you offer the best price and then you say you can do something for those who are charming.

Overall, I agree with the OP that many things can be bargained down. It's just to know when to say stop.
 
Banking2006 - yes I agree with bargaining for commission based products, that's what I was trying to say in a very roundabout way!
 
I like to bargain (well I like to try anyway) for most big ticket purchases, afterall no goods or service provider is obligated to sell anything cheaper than the displayed price but it's a poor salesman that will let a customer walk out the door for the sake of a small/ token discount. In the business I work in heavy discounts and preferential credit arrangements are par for the course as competition is so fierce, so if that's good enough for big business it's good enough for me. The insurance market seems to be particularly soft at the moment so I've been able to get good value on my personal insurance requirements. I reckon we'll see a return to bargaining and heavy discounting as the economic slowdown bites- there's a huge amount of competitors in the area of home furnishing/ improvement alone and certainly not room for them all I would think.
 
Fair play to all those who drive the best deal they can.
I can't help wondering if our annoyed printer just accepts the price he is offered for his printing supplies?

If Tesco didn't use their bargaining power & just accepted suppliers prices, how much more would your weekly shopping cost?

It may not be "cool" in some circles to look for the best deal you can, but I prefer the "warm" feel of more money in my wallet, thanks. (Then again, I'm Scottish )
 
Hi,

I would always bargain for big purchases, like jewellery, watches, cars etc, but it never entered my head to bargain with banks or insurance companies.

If you wanted to get cheaper house insurance, say, how would you go about bargaining - how would you phrase it? For example, would you say something like "is that your best price" or "can we negotiate a bit on the price"? Or maybe ask for an extra offer to be thrown in for free?
 

If relevant, I would usually start with "Ah c'mon, sure I've been with you x years...etc"

Or

"x company are charging less (or even around the same and I hear they're very easy to deal with so maybe I'll go to them)... etc"

I'd be a bit light hearted about it though - no-one likes to feel they are being backed into a corner.
 
When renewing both motor and home insurances I sought quotations online which I then used as leverage when negotiating with my existing insurers; in both instances the existing insurers were happy to match the cheaper online quotes and the cover they offered was superior.
 
Oh the joys of marching down to my local insurance office with my online printouts
 


Why not sure if you dont chance your arm and all that. I just rang insurance company for car quote and as was given one price to which I said "thats a bit high isnt it, and can you not do it any cheaper?" the price was then dropped by 120 euro just like that.
 
The missus got her contact lenses from the local opticians at the same price as online by having her printout in hand! Saved on the postage anyway, since she was in for an eye-test and the opticians is only down the road.
 
Did you try saying it a second time to see what happened?
 
I was quite surprised a few years ago when a friend from Kerry told me that it is/was(?) quite normal to ask for a discount in country stores, especially for clothes. I had never heard of this before and it would probably still never enter my head to ask for a few bob off. Is this still happening?
 
I know this is off the point, but one approach to saving money is to work out the clothes you want, try them briefly for size in a shop, then buy online for less... I know it's a bit cheeky... Just realised this should be in the tips for saving money forum instead really
 
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