Daftest thing you've haggled for?

Cactus_Jack

Whats the daftest thing you've tried to haggle for, whether successful or not?

I went to Blackpool for a day/night out drinking recently, and we got back to my town later on and went for some more beers. Anyway I realised I'd spent quite a bit all day, and when in the kebab shop on the way home tried to haggle the guy to two quid rather than £3 on the menu for a kebab! He refused, but accepted £2.50! Result!

I also have a friend who is always trying to haggle at burger vans etc, quite funny really, I wouldn't think of doing it really, but there's nothing to lose really!

loracan1

My childrens' dad has haggled quite successfully in the past.

1) A pair of trainers in Burtons for half the sale price (he was a student, they were different sizes but then so were his feet and the assistant thought he was barmy) he offered something like a fiver for them. That one still makes me laugh.

2) A couple of times we'd be out buying something and he'd start coppering up to pay. An assistant in an art shop looked a bit irritated when he started counting out 2ps and said he could have a £55.00 picture for £50 I think this could possibly have been shortly before closing. Another was a £15 kettle in a clearance shop. He said he'd have it, could only find £12 and offered to go to the cashpoint, assistant must've thought it better to have the cash there and then and let it go for £12. He's probably used this 'short of money' trick on other occasions too.

I wouldn't put it past him to haggle for a kebab either.

Ally

I am trying REALLY hard to think of a time when my Mum DIDN'T haggle :rolleyes:

jago25_98

£60 for a bass guitar (good). Course I had to haggle because it's my nature.

Got him down to £55 but thing is, I only had £10 notes! Had to go to a post office to get change!!

Paul_Varjak

It's strange that we English will always haggle over houses, cars, second hand goods, and at car boot sales, but rarely in high street shops.

And when we go to a restaurant, we actually pay the service charge or tip the waiter!

Personally, what annoys me is when I go the the checkout at supermarkets. As a VAT avoidance (evasion?) measure, they take 2.5% of your payment as a service charge for paying by credit/debit card. It's about time we English started haggling for a rebate on that!

IvanOpinion

I remember my dad used to always haggle in the local butchers. He had a habit of going in negotiating a price for whatever and then slapping a £20 note on the counter and asking what extra could be done - usually got an extra steak thrown in

Ivan

Gallowgate_2

I haggled for an Indian Head dress down from £120 to £95 with a pair of mocason slippers thrown in extra

emh_2

I am rather embarrased to admit my recent haggle, but I blame this site for making me such a good money saver!!

It was a really sunny day 2 weeks ago and we were away from home and got caught out without sunhats for the kids. I went to a local 'bargain shop' to look for a couple of sun hats. Found a couple that were £2 each. Whilst waiting in the queue I noticed that there was a very slight fading of colour as a result of being in the front window. I couldn't believe myself when I enquired to the checkout girl if I could have something off for the sun damage on the two sunhats!! Perhaps she was as equally shocked as she offered me two for the price of one! So I got 2 very nice sun hats for a total of two quid! and my kiddies were well protected that day.

CLIVELESTER

Years ago while on holiday in South of France we were pestered by Looky Looky men. Was approached by one on the beach selling usual trinkets including some splendid Khaftans. Price started off at about £60 franc equivalent & after an hours debate got the price down to £15. Came to try on the prized article only to find there were non in my size! It felt good to waste as much of their time as they wasted of ours.

IvanOpinion

A great place for bargains is Mexico - although they are starting to wise up to rich tourists haggling the prices down. One of the best areas is outside Tijuana just as you are heading towards the American border.... the sellers hound your car and the price keeps falling the closer you get to the border. In one case DW enquired about the price of a sailing boat made out of pieces of glass (about 18" tall)... it started at $60 but by the time we got near to the border (and the limits of where the sellers were allowed to go) it was $15. Despite my protestations DW still decided to buy it (too many margheritas) ... she realised why I did not want it because there was no way we could pack it to get it home ... so I still own a nice glass boat somewhere in Los Angeles.


On another occasion, in Crystobal, a group of native indians had come down from the mountains to one of the markets to sell their wares. The men wore nothing but a loin cloth held up with a piece of string and the girls wore grass skirts and some beads around their necks (nothing else). They had lots of traditional hand crafted wares for sale. In particular there was a lovely bowl (the size of a large salad bowl) carved out of a solid piece of wood and hand painted with a traditional Aztec/Inca design. One American tourist was trying to haggle the tribesman down from $12 to $10 - a similar bowl over here would cost about £50-£60. I turned round to the American and said 'for goodness sake you are arguing about $2 with a fellow who is wearing nothing but a loin cloth and a piece of string' ... the American laughed and gave him the $12. Immediately after the same chap took off his Panama Hat and with great pleasure showed me the label inside that said 'Made in Ireland'.

Ivan

EssexBoy_3

I was hosting a boot sale stall last year selling off my unwanted stuff, including some rusty old tools (screwdrivers, pliers etc.) for 10p each.

I thought this was cheap enough for potential buyers and the pile steadily went down as the day progressed.

As the crowd depleted and the day drew to a close, an old lady started looking through what was left of the tools. She pick out a small, very rusty, flat-head screwdriver, said she wanted it and promptly started haggling to get the price down!!

As I had had a very good trading day, and still in shock because I didn't believe anyone would haggle me from a measly 10p!, I let the lady have it for nothing because she had the front to haggle for such a small amount.

She seemed very pleased with herself and went home with a rusty screwdriver and a smile. I also returned home with a smile and a memory I won't forget in a hurry!!