Spill the beans... Shop assistants, what's your haggle policy?

Former_MSE_Debs

Spill the beans... Shop assistants, what's your haggle policy?
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Do you work/ have you worked at a shop? Which one? And how much discretion did you have if someone haggled, eg, were you automatically allowed to give 10% off if someone asked? See our Haggle on the High Street Guide for top tips on how and where to haggle.



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Ashagill

Hello,
I work at Waterstones, and I thought i'd contribute here because, like most other retail stores if a book or product is damaged we are allowed to give 10% off and thus making it non-refundable. However this is entirely discretionary, I have had two or three customers in my time walk up with a book that has a slight scratch on the back cover, or one slightly bent corner page or something TINY asking for 10% off, and I have said no, as that discount is only for when the book has a clear damage, making it unsellable, really.

ANYWAY, what I would share here is that every Waterstones store has it's own discounting. So a new cookbook at our store might have £3 off, but our nearest store has £4 or £5 or it might be on a Buy One Get One Half Price deal, or something. So if there is a book coming out or one that isn't too old, it might be worth ringing around local stores to see where is the cheapest place.
I will also mention that the Waterstones policy is that we refund with receipts, but we can exchange (at our discretion) without receipts...
This is all assuming you don't run to amazon! (Which I also would advise that you measure up how much you're actually saving there, because often the postage boosts the price up to the normal book price, and you might as well get it sooner and support your local high street economy!)
Thanks!
:lovethoug

burns863

I used to work for Apple Retail UK from 2007 to 2009. We weren't allowed to give any discount at all without manager authorisation. That even applied for Student and Corporate Discount.

So hagglers get nothing.

The amount of people who asked "What will you do for cash?" was unreal.

jgriggle

I think I can say I'm speaking on behalf of all retail staff when I say the first and golden rule is be nice!

Demanding to see the manager, or announcing with a sneer that you never pay full price for anything or generally acting as if a discount is your birth-right will get you nowhere.

If staff are on commission, you're more likely to get a deal - if they get paid the same whether you buy or not then by all means ask but you won't get much, if anything.

As a general rule, staff are paid commission in places where you would expect to be approached by staff, and hopefully expect them to be able to advise you. Places like electrical shops, kitchen/bathroom/sofa/tile/carpet showrooms, mobile phone shops, some clothes/shoe shops. In those places the salespeople are expected to be aware of margins etc. and their decision is normally final, so asking for the manager is a waste of everyone's time.

Retailworker

Hi ,
I am a store manager of a well known and trusted store on the high street. What most customers don't realise is that I can in fact discount my product if I see a need. For example, if a customer is spending what we would consider a large amount of money but can also the get the same product elsewhere, I may be inclined to offer a %age off to show appreciation for loyalty. Or, if I feel a person is likely to spend more if they feel they are getting a larger discount for doing so.
A few tips though. Don't just assume that what seems like a large amount of money to you is the same for the sales person- they may have taken a lot of money that day and have no real need to discount for you.
A smile goes a long way! If you insist on speaking to the manager, or stating that you can always get discount elsewhere, we are more likely to call your bluff and decline you. Instead, ask if you spend x amount would they be able to see if they can bring the price down to meet your budget.
Also, it is way more likely to get an 'add on' for free, for example asking if you spent x amount of money would they give you a certain accessory free?
Always give it a go, but remember that is often about attitude!

lolarosa90

I've worked in retail stores, such as Next and Phones 4 U. Whenever someone asked for a discount, I told them to bog off, this isn't a charity!!!

maharrington

The answer is no.....no student discount, no discount for hagglers, and unfortunately no discount NHS or Armed Forces discount (or anything else).

I work there, at the moment we don't get a regular staff discount on purchases.

Supervisors/Managers can give reductions on selling prices on products that are damaged at sale - however, these make the product non-returnable (the same as if we were to mark down the price before it went on sale due to it being damaged).

Helix

Ashagill wrote:

This is all assuming you don't run to amazon! (Which I also would advise that you measure up how much you're actually saving there, because often the postage boosts the price up to the normal book price, and you might as well get it sooner and support your local high street economy!)
Thanks!
:lovethoug

Amazon have free delivery on everything they sell themselves so postage doesn't bump up the price. If I am going to support the high street I would rather support a local independent store than one owned by a Russian billionaire.

x_samantha_x_2

I work for a high end jeweler and we can't give discounts when people ask, buy a large amount of items at a high price or if the item is the last one and has to come from the display. We can only give discount through any promotions that are on, or to employees who work in the shopping mall in which the store is, but there is a lot of paperwork and information to be filled out, along with receipts having to be triple signed.
We can't change prices if an item is priced wrong either as it is not a breach of customer rights. The price on show is an invitation to buy at that price, not a fixed price for us to sell at.
Very strict.

landsker

Has anyone had a deal with SCS sofas?
I'm trying to do a deal on a Gplan suite.

tjdudey

lolarosa90 wrote: »

I've worked in retail stores, such as Next and Phones 4 U. Whenever someone asked for a discount, I told them to bog off, this isn't a charity!!!

I dont believe this! I also worked in Phones4u, and the sheer amount of 'cashback', we were able to give to close a deal was unreal. I am absolutely certain you would have been pressured into offering discount and cashback by your manager to complete a sale!

If you want a phone and a lump sum of cash, i would recommend Phones4u, our store would often send people away with a new phone and over £100 in cash, and by the end of the month, it doesnt affect the sales figures badly.

Go to P4u at the end of the month, and dont be afraid to leave to 'think about it', when you go back they will bend over backwards to finish the sale.