AIBU to think that I can barter in a shop?

[anditwasallyellow]

I went to buy a suitcase yesterday from a small shop I'm fairly sure it's a one off shop not a chain store or large business, just a few metres from the shop there's a market stall selling similiar suitcases but a couple of quid cheaper same brand just different designs etc.

I went to the shop and offered the guy £20 for a £24 suitcase and he looked at me like I was bonkers and said no way, I said that the stall were selling them cheaper and asked what the maximum discount was he could offer. Then I said I wasn't 100% happy as they were all out on display and customer will have obviously been handling them. He gave me £2 off and I thought it was a job well done. I always try to get dicounts if I can.

My mum and boyfriend think I'm mad and hilarious for doing this!

I should add that my boss always haggles with the suppliers so it goes around. His favourite saying is "You can have some of my money or none of it."

Have you seen that Antiques Road Trip programme? They go into shops and haggle, getting prices so far down it conveys that you'd be an idiot to pay full price, so that they can attempt to make a profit at auction. This seems the wrong way around to me, surely dealers buy at auction, then mark up in their ( nicer, more convenient, more helpful) shop.

I have seen it attempted in a local grocery shop 'I'll give you x for this basket of shopping', 'no, y is the price you pay'. That just held up the queue.

I don't think it's wrong to ask, especially on big things but does depend on whether you're dealing with someone with some authority.

I would hate to feel that not haggling would amount to being a mug. That would make shopping much harder work. I already shop around, take advantage of the John Lewis pledge - great when someone else has a sale on - and complain and seek redress if something is wrong. That's enough work already.

Yes KatherinaMinola, very questionable comment from the poster there.

I saw a beautiful settee/chair/footstool a few years ago. Well out of our price range at about £4500. I googled the brand name and rang every single shop that stocked it in the whole of England, asking what discount they could offer me. I narrowed it down to two stores who competed for the business. I eventually got it for £2200 with free delivery from 200 miles away!
I've also just bought a table/benches/sideboard from a furniture change and got free delivery (£50) and £70 of table accessories thrown in.

I've had small discounts pretty often. I ask politely and usually when I'm pretty certain I'm going to buy. I've never had the impression it's the wrong thing to do.

Haggling is squirmingly embarrassing and awful. Even with JL price match I get DH to do it. He is in sales so has no shame at all when asking for discounts. I tend to die slightly and pretend I'm not with him.

Just ask "what is the best price you can do on this, please". Then, you can politely follow up with "I can't quite get there I am afraid, but I can offer you X". I don't understand the embarrassment. This should be at a time when it is a straight negotiation between you and the seller and there is no one else around to see that discounts are available.

Shops would FAR rather people did this than what seems to be common these days and I find very rude; going to a shop, testing something out, getting lots of advice, and then going home and buying the item as cheaply as possible online.

I used to work as a till operator for a large clothing retailer for 5 years.

There have been times when people have asked "How about £xx?" - until now, I always assumed they were joking

I haggled in a luggage shop too and ended up getting a large suitcase and one that you could pull along with about a 20 pound discount. YNBU

anditwasallyellow - you're not of Aussie descent are you? It's relatively normal to haggle in some shops here, specifically those selling electrical goods. If you pay marked price, you're obviously not Aussie!

I've only ever haggled in the electronics shops in Tottenham Court Road, and even they don't like it much - but any shop that has the "if you can buy it cheaper elsewhere, we'll refund double the difference" sort of offer, I reckon they're opening themselves up to haggling.

I have troubles doing it myself - although have done it in a jewellery shop in Covent Garden (ok, not actual CG, Neal Street) and got £20 off a necklace - but DH is a class act at it. I tend to wander off an leave him to it...

It's not rude; it's always worth asking. Usually the worst they can do is say no!