“Electricals Haggling” Discussion

jgriggle wrote: »

Always tricky with electricals as the margins are so low as all the retailers are selling identical items and all want to be cheapest. I spent 8 years in electrical retail, both in big chains and smaller independents. So here goes!... Single purchases i.e. a TV have little chance of discount as the salesperson will earn next to nothing to sell it to you, and most likely earn nothing if they discount it. This means they'd rather let you leave empty-handed than waste 10 minutes with you and miss out on a juicier sale. If you buy a warranty you have more leverage but these are generally a waste of money (but not always) Big brand stuff usually makes no money for the retailer as they all compete to be cheapest and often sell at a loss. The best you'll get is a price match. If you are buying lots of stuff it's worth asking - you can normally get free cables and accessories as the mark ups on those are huge (around 70-80%). (1964, it's unlikely that Comet would go below 400 quid on your LCD as it probably just isn't worth their while. No harm in asking though!) The best advice I can give when asking is: be nice! If you come across as being rude or patronising, or demanding to see the manager, you have no chance (think about it - if someone was rude or patronising to you would you be inclined to give them what they want?!) I used to enjoy dealing with people who engaged in conversation, were prepared to pay for quality, listened to advice and were pleasant to deal with. I'd make sure that they got the best deal for their money and they went away happy. The thing most guaranteed to annoy were the people who'd come in, point at the cheapest plasma screen in the shop and say "Oi mate, wot's yer best price on this telly?"! Hope this helps, and good luck!