Why Haggle?
Haggling on the high street is a fabulous way to help beat the credit crunch. Getting hard-hit retailers to give you a discount can win savings of up to 60% on lots of goods.
With persistence and nerve, it's possible to save hundreds of pounds from list prices. The best savings, in percentage terms, tend to be on electrical items such as televisions, washing machines and computers, with discounts of more than 20% easily achieved. Some savings we've recently achieved include:
- £800 off the advertised price of a Fiat Punto
— a discount of 8% - £250 off a cruising holiday on the Thames
— a discount of 10% - £200 off the advertised price of a television costing £999
— a discount of 20%
Cars are also a great target for haggling. One of the reasons why they are so expensive in the UK is because buyers are so reluctant to haggle. It is possible to pay much less. Dealer margins are around 10%. There's no reason why you can't get within a couple of per cent of that. If you don't haggle, you could be missing out on savings of thousands of pounds.
Worried it's too cheeky to haggle? Under the Sales of Goods Act 1979, prices are only set once an offer has been both made by the buyer, and accepted by the seller. So what's stopping you...?