High Street Haggling Discussion

citizen_cane · 6 May 2012 at 9:38PM

First off, I don't 'dread' people asking for a discount. Please. As you say, it's part of the job.

My remarks were not aimed at the customers who ask politely and accept an equally polite refusal. They are aimed at those who pitch up un-prepared ("I've seen it cheaper on the net" - "Which site?" - "Oh, I can't remember. But that means you'll price-match, won't you?"), and those who act as if they are entitled, because they've seen that bloke on the telly and he says that if they ask they'll get a discount. And then get sulky and belligerent when you don't roll over. Yes, it happens. Most days.

Or the ones who think we'll price-match a competitor who hasn't even got the item in stock. Go and get it off them, then. Oh, you can't. They haven't got it. Not a strong negotiating hand.

Not to forget those who seem oblivious to the basic rules of staying in business on the High St. This means making a margin sufficient to pay the rent and rates, pay the staff and buy the stock - as well as providing after sales service and free advice to all-comers. They are usually the ones who'll use the "Oh come on - I know you can do it cheaper than that" line, when in fact they have no absolutely no idea what margins we work on or what the item owes us. They assume that we can keep the place open and staffed, with a wonderful range of expensive stock to choose from and try out (musical instruments and equipment in our case) and knock it out at negligible margins.

My point is: If you want a deal, then there has to be a sound business reason to give you that deal. These might include removing the possibility of losing the sale to a competitor for a negligible price drop, or to maintain the goodwill of a regular customer. But I'll happily wave goodbye to a customer who has had a ridiculous offer from another retailer. Because I'm not about to get into a competition to see who can make the least amount of money. The retailer who 'wins' those competitions regularly won't be around for long. Any trader who gives money away to customers just because they ask is a fool who deserves to go under. Harsh, but true. That's business.

I get paid on GP. That means that every time I give away margin, money - real money - comes straight out of my pay-packet. And I've got bills to pay and a family to feed, just like everyone else. These discounts that everyone wants don't come from some magical bottomless money-pot. They come out of my wages.

So if you want to take money out of my pay-packet, you'd better be prepared to justify to me exactly why you think I should give it to you. It's a business negotiation. If doing that is beyond your skill set, then it's hard luck. Who said life was fair?

Arrogant? No, it's just business...

jenniewb · 7 May 2012 at 1:19AM

citizen_cane wrote: »

First off, I don't 'dread' people asking for a discount. Please. As you say, it's part of the job.

My remarks were not aimed at the customers who ask politely and accept an equally polite refusal. They are aimed at those who pitch up un-prepared ("I've seen it cheaper on the net" - "Which site?" - "Oh, I can't remember. But that means you'll price-match, won't you?"), and those who act as if they are entitled, because they've seen that bloke on the telly and he says that if they ask they'll get a discount. And then get sulky and belligerent when you don't roll over. Yes, it happens. Most days.

Or the ones who think we'll price-match a competitor who hasn't even got the item in stock. Go and get it off them, then. Oh, you can't. They haven't got it. Not a strong negotiating hand.

Not to forget those who seem oblivious to the basic rules of staying in business on the High St. This means making a margin sufficient to pay the rent and rates, pay the staff and buy the stock - as well as providing after sales service and free advice to all-comers. They are usually the ones who'll use the "Oh come on - I know you can do it cheaper than that" line, when in fact they have no absolutely no idea what margins we work on or what the item owes us. They assume that we can keep the place open and staffed, with a wonderful range of expensive stock to choose from and try out (musical instruments and equipment in our case) and knock it out at negligible margins.

My point is: If you want a deal, then there has to be a sound business reason to give you that deal. These might include removing the possibility of losing the sale to a competitor for a negligible price drop, or to maintain the goodwill of a regular customer. But I'll happily wave goodbye to a customer who has had a ridiculous offer from another retailer. Because I'm not about to get into a competition to see who can make the least amount of money. The retailer who 'wins' those competitions regularly won't be around for long. Any trader who gives money away to customers just because they ask is a fool who deserves to go under. Harsh, but true. That's business.

I get paid on GP. That means that every time I give away margin, money - real money - comes straight out of my pay-packet. And I've got bills to pay and a family to feed, just like everyone else. These discounts that everyone wants don't come from some magical bottomless money-pot. They come out of my wages.

So if you want to take money out of my pay-packet, you'd better be prepared to justify to me exactly why you think I should give it to you. It's a business negotiation. If doing that is beyond your skill set, then it's hard luck. Who said life was fair?

Arrogant? No, it's just business...

I was not desputing your reasoning nor what you had experienced. I was trying to tell you that the way you came across, felt arrogant. Weather it was or not, it came across as unfriendly and as if you were looking down at people. This would not win you customers and just makes you look bad. I had hoped you would put yourself in the place of one of your customers maybe and rethink the way you were coming across, I hadn't posted to critic your points, I had posted to critc the way you came across which felt like a poor attitude to adopt, I had posted because I was trying to help.

s_b · 7 May 2012 at 12:56PM

i have to say having reading citizen cane's post if it was me in another dimension as its spot on what he has written

i often turn customers down who want a discount

most accept ive gone the extra mile and appreciate they are getting a good product good service, backup and help
the ones who insist on a discount invariably are the people i neither want to do business with or do
you cant bleed someone dry and expect them to stay in business for ever
my barometer is autotrader and i swear if i advertised a car in it for 10 pence someone would want it for 9 pence

use your local businesses or lose them yes we may be a little dearer but boy do we go the extra mile and we are here tomorrow

when i worked on the high street i always remember a customer telling me a sony hmk70 was £10 cheaper in comet when i politly suggested we wouldnt match it because we couldnt they said comet had run out,i said when we dont have any we give ours away

citizen_cane · 7 May 2012 at 8:47PM

@jenniewb: I posted my views in order to give the other side of the story, and to give a realistic picture of how sales-people really think. What I have posted here is what is actually going through every sales-person's mind when Mr or Mrs "I Want to Haggle" pitches up. But of course, being a professional, I am never anything less than charming with customers, even when I'm saying 'no'.

It's all very well Martin and others (eg Dom Baldyman) gee-ing people up to demand discounts here there and everywhere. But it's about time that people realised that a) they are not entitled, and b) adopted a more realistic and hard-headed attitude. Agreeing a discount is a business negotiation, plain and simple. And if the person behind the counter is better at that negotiation than you are, then you're not getting what you want. We don't owe you an easy ride, or an 'asking nicely' deal.

Too many would-be deal-makers are ill-prepared, delusional and, sadly, downright rude when they realise things aren't going their way. Prime example is the person further up this thread who seems to think he's entitled to take a shop to court for refusing to price-match, after he first tried to negotiate the price with a call centre (!) who rightly told him he'd have to speak to the people in the shop, who then said 'no'. What planet is he on? But we see examples of that kind of thinking on a daily basis.

jenniewb · 8 May 2012 at 12:40AM

citizen_cane wrote: »

@jenniewb: I posted my views in order to give the other side of the story, and to give a realistic picture of how sales-people really think. What I have posted here is what is actually going through every sales-person's mind when Mr or Mrs "I Want to Haggle" pitches up. But of course, being a professional, I am never anything less than charming with customers, even when I'm saying 'no'.

It's all very well Martin and others (eg Dom Baldyman) gee-ing people up to demand discounts here there and everywhere. But it's about time that people realised that a) they are not entitled, and b) adopted a more realistic and hard-headed attitude. Agreeing a discount is a business negotiation, plain and simple. And if the person behind the counter is better at that negotiation than you are, then you're not getting what you want. We don't owe you an easy ride, or an 'asking nicely' deal.

Too many would-be deal-makers are ill-prepared, delusional and, sadly, downright rude when they realise things aren't going their way. Prime example is the person further up this thread who seems to think he's entitled to take a shop to court for refusing to price-match, after he first tried to negotiate the price with a call centre (!) who rightly told him he'd have to speak to the people in the shop, who then said 'no'. What planet is he on? But we see examples of that kind of thinking on a daily basis.

I was not posting to complain about your issues. As I had already said, it wa your manner I was pointing out, it puts people off.

Again: when you say things in the way you have done, people stop reading the words and just see the manner you are writing in, It makes you look bad, it does not get your point across.

Again, I was not taking issue with what you were trying to say, it was just the way you were saying it.

citizen_cane · 10 May 2012 at 11:30AM

Well, that's just my style of putting things across. Direct, unapologetic, and possibly a bit acerbic. There you go. As I said, I meant it to represent the way we on the other side of the counter are thinking. Most people who give the "I speak for everyone when I say..." line actually speak for no-one but themselves. But I know how sales-people think because I've been one, and have worked alongside them for the last 35 years. And considering that the only other person (apart from yourself) who has responded to my posts said that I was (quote) "spot-on in what I said", I'd dispute that my style has put people off, or made them "stop reading the words".

Diff'rent strokes for diff'rent folks, as someone once said.

KonkyWonky · 26 May 2012 at 9:33PM

Hi guys

I'm on the lookout for a new bed and nearly collapsed at the price of a good quality bed when we visited Dreams today. Has anyone got any experience haggling their and if so what kind of discount did you get?

We will probably be spending in the region of £800 on a double divan so hoping there is plenty room for a discount.

sayahu · 26 May 2012 at 10:41PM

Sorry not haggling advice as the last time I haggled over a bed was 10 years ago and got a solid wood double bed as a free gift with other furniture.

Have you a dreams clearence outlet nearby? have you tried a small local furniture seller? they should be able to get hold of the bed you want at a more reasonable price (thats how got most of my furniture).

wookie_2 · 27 May 2012 at 8:52AM

KonkyWonky wrote: »

Hi guys

I'm on the lookout for a new bed and nearly collapsed at the price of a good quality bed when we visited Dreams today. Has anyone got any experience haggling their and if so what kind of discount did you get?

We will probably be spending in the region of £800 on a double divan so hoping there is plenty room for a discount.

Walk in with hard cold cash, offer £400 if they say no show the cash and walk, in these times I am sure they will offer you a deal....

MiniM · 8 June 2012 at 12:07PM

I bought a bed from Dreams last year... i got a £100 discount and free delivery on a £1000 bed and got it on credit! Ideally you should go when the shop is not busy and if you buy with cash i reckon you will get a bigger discount:D

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