Are Irish people cr*p at haggling?

Yurt2

This has occurred to me that Irish people accept the sticker price on most things and almost never haggle even when there is a window to do so.

I've spent a lot of time in haggling cultures in adulthood (Asia) and it's become second nature to me I suppose.

I was purchasing a guitar as a present for a loved one in Ireland last year and from research, I had a fair idea the sticker price was bogus. I went to haggle and try to get some goodies thrown in on top of the purchase to sweeten the sale on my end; the guy was looking at me as if I had two heads.

My point is, do Irish people end up paying more for stuff by being retreating and reluctant to haggle?

joeguevara

I hate when people incorrectly use the WOrd barter instead of haggle.

It’s all dependent on the situation. Wouldn’t dream of trying in a retail situation but definitely for cars etc.

I have found in other countries I visit, haggling is mainly in tourist areas. In Thailand for example the locals wouldn’t dream of haggling in a food market. My friends wife brought me to a market which was 95% locals. A US lady was trying to haggle down the price and my friends wife said to her, that this market wasn’t the same as the ones for Tourists and the price is the price.

I do remember as a young kid in dingle with my parents. They used to sing as part of a large Irish session group. About 15. The main guy who was from killorglin went in to a pub and said for you want music for the night. Fifty punts or free drink for the night’. Worst decision that publican ever made going for the free drink option.

Mehapoy

Have you ever met an Irish farmer? Haggling is an art form in rural areas!

I am not good at haggling..

ILoveYourVibes

The trick to anything is knowing the culture it exists in.

And the first trick to haggling ...is to convince someone it exists in their culture. Prepare them for the haggling.

Get to know whatever industry it is. And pretend you know more than you do when you are haggling.

Be realistic. How often does he sell guitars like this? ( answer probably not one a week so actually a good item to start with).


be VERY friendly and polite.

Make him invest time in the sale. Make him take the guitar down ..show you and talk to you ..maybe some other guitars too ..make him spend a good long time with you. The more time he invests the more he wants to make the sale. Like an hour.


Don't take the piss. Be flexible.

If it works and you buy. Make a good impression ...'Have you a business card i can take etc? or show my friends?'. Can i get your name so i can ask for you again if I come back?'

There you go ..you have life line to haggling now in future.

NB I SUCK AT HAGGLING I READ THE ABOVE FROM A SITE!

Yurt!

Yurt! wrote: »

This has occurred to me that Irish people accept the sticker price on most things and almost never haggle even when there is a window to do so.

I've spent a lot of time in haggling cultures in adulthood (Asia) and it's become second nature to me I suppose.

I was purchasing a guitar as a present for a loved one in Ireland last year and from research, I had a fair idea the sticker price was bogus. I went to haggle and try to get some goodies thrown in on top of the purchase to sweeten the sale on my end; the guy was looking at me as if I had two heads.

My point is, do Irish people end up paying more for stuff by being retreating and reluctant to haggle?

Where are you from? Because you tried to haggle and you failed. Sounds like the salesman was good at it.

Yurt2

Deleted User wrote: »

Where are you from? Because you tried to haggle and you failed. Sounds like the salesman was good at it.

I actually got 50 quid off the tag price and some high-quality guitar cables and other guitar goodies thrown in gratis. Still, the sales guy was reluctant to dance at first.

Peregrinus

Yurt! wrote: »

This has occurred to me that Irish people accept the sticker price on most things and almost never haggle even when there is a window to do so.

I've spent a lot of time in haggling cultures in adulthood (Asia) and it's become second nature to me I suppose.

I was purchasing a guitar as a present for a loved one in Ireland last year and from research, I had a fair idea the sticker price was bogus. I went to haggle and try to get some goodies thrown in on top of the purchase to sweeten the sale on my end; the guy was looking at me as if I had two heads.

My point is, do Irish people end up paying more for stuff by being retreating and reluctant to haggle?

Not necessarily, no. In markets where haggling is customary the initial asking price includes a margin to be haggled away. The vendor knows what margin he wants on the product. If we did more haggling, sticker prices would be higher.

Which is why your haggling was unsuccessful; the vendor didn't have a margin built in for haggling. What you thought was haggling he though was just time-wasting.

Effects

ILoveYourVibes wrote: »

Make him invest time in the sale. Make him take the guitar down ..show you and talk to you ..maybe some other guitars too ..make him spend a good long time with you. The more time he invests the more he wants to make the sale. Like an hour.

Nah. Just buy it online for cheaper.

whisky_galore

Mehapoy wrote: »

Have you ever met an Irish farmer? Haggling is an art form in rural areas!

Some of the older ones are so mean they'll fight over €1, even if the price is something like €5. Then hang around for an age to yak about the weather or the good old days and fcuk off without buying anything.

Or "will you take this for it?" and present a fist of brown coins and small change, pretending it's all they have.

Younger farmers tend not to be tyre kickers and time wasters. They might ask to round down, a small discount or take it at asking price but if they enquire they usually end up buying.

elbyrneo

I'm brilliant at haggling, have a technique that might resonate with others.

I start off by asking how much something is and i then ask my wife to come over, and then i pop away meekly and a few minutes later I pop back and lo and behold the price has reduced significantly and the vendor looks terribly downbeat and a shell of the man he was before.

Snails pace

Being good at haggling is useful but holding your nerve and not panicking when your not sure how the deal goes is every bit as important.

ThewhiteJesus

I prefer the term dickering myself !

Captain Havoc

I used to sell furniture years ago. People were always trying to haggle, but we could almost always only sell by the sticker price. What really used to annoy me was people telling me that I didn't want the sale. In my own business, I am definitely open to haggling.

Pintman Paddy Losty

I buy most things for work on credit and do my haggling after the fact. You're in a much stronger position to knock some money off after the goods have arrived and are in your possession.

There's enough people desperate for business out there that you can just move supplier if they don't like it.

mariaalice

We are not in the same league as some cultures where bargaining is a way of life, it was common in Ireland especially in farming.

I bargain for somethings, I would never pay full price for a Christmas tree for example.

My mother always bargained for things like shoes, but she would be buying a couple of pairs of school shoes for us. It was common in rural shops that if someone purchased say a pair of jeans they got a t-shirt thrown in with it that sort of thing.

Ireland has changed though.

Dravokivich

Personally, I'm not so much bad at haggling, I'm just not bothered with it. I'd rather know what the price is going in, and deal with that. If the price is superficially high, I'd be less inclined to look at whatever it is, let alone buy.

WacoKid

I always haggle for TV's, fridges, carpets, sofas, cars, etc. Never for bread or milk though!

hardybuck

Regularly haggle myself on all sorts of things - clothes (if buying expensive items), electric goods, furniture, sports goods, professional services, homeware.

I reckon I'd save a four figure sum in most years, this year I've saved definitely a six figure sum as I was buying and doing up a property.

Doesn't always go well, I walked away from a purchase the other day on an item that I think had a 100% margin built into it. The seller offered me 5% off, wouldn't budge from it, so I politely declined and left it there.

I think the Irish are getting better at it, but the British don't do it at all. Was on a holiday tour with some Brits a few years ago and they couldn't fathom haggling over price - perhaps it has something to do with the prevalence of chain stores over there.

mariaalice

whisky_galore wrote: »

Some of the older ones are so mean they'll fight over €1, even if the price is something like €5. Then hang around for an age to yak about the weather or the good old days and fcuk off without buying anything.

Or "will you take this for it?" and present a fist of brown coins and small change, pretending it's all they have.

Younger farmers tend not to be tyre kickers and time wasters. They might ask to round down, a small discount or take it at asking price but if they enquire they usually end up buying.

Hagling like that should be seen as a good thing and a part of the fabric of rural life it make life interesting, its a connection a chance for a chat.

I was in a market town in north Cork( not on its last legs type of place its looked prosperous ) when on our holiday, went in to a bakery cafe for a coffee. There were three aul lad having a coffee at the next table talking about farm payments.

The cafe had replaced the pub?

it's brilliant that rural life carries on.

Mister Vain

Dravokivich wrote: »

Personally, I'm not so much bad at haggling, I'm just not bothered with it.

Same here, I just couldn't be arsed. I think the Irish in general at fairly good at haggling though. My father is great at it and haggles for everything.

breezy1985

Captain Havoc wrote: »

I used to sell furniture years ago. People were always trying to haggle, but we could almost always only sell by the sticker price. What really used to annoy me was people telling me that I didn't want the sale. In my own business, I am definitely open to haggling.

I worked somewhere similar in the past and the pricing was cost+bill+wages so if we gave in to hagglers the shop would have closed due to lack of funds as there was no premiums put on the price and no one was making a ball of money out of the place.

I think places that expect hagglers just up the price and let the hagglers haggle down to the price it was intended to be anyway

mariaalice

breezy1985 wrote: »

I worked somewhere similar in the past and the pricing was cost+bill+wages so if we gave in to hagglers the shop would have closed due to lack of funds as there was no premiums put on the price and no one was making a ball of money out of the place.

I think places that expect hagglers just up the price and let the hagglers haggle down to the price it was intended to be anyway

Sale people are on a commission in 99% of those type or retail situations that is where the haggling comes in.

whisky_galore

mariaalice wrote: »

Hagling like that should be seen as a good thing and a part of the fabric of rural life it make life interesting, its a connection a chance for a chat.

I was in a market town in north Cork( not on its last legs type of place its looked prosperous ) when on our holiday, went in to a bakery cafe for a coffee. There were three aul lad having a coffee at the next table talking about farm payments.

The cafe had replaced the pub?

it's brilliant that rural life carries on.

I find it tiresome, just want to sell, not waste time having a pointless chat. I should be charging for this chat as they get more out of it than I do.

breezy1985

mariaalice wrote: »

Sale people are on a commission in 99% of those type or retail situations that is where the haggling comes in.

My experience was in a small family run business so it would be a different set up to the retail stores. It was about 5 staff and the boss all just getting a wage and no commission.

In terms of haggling I would take the type of store into account and would usually have no issue with handing over whatever the asking price is when dealing with small shops and wouldn't be looking for deals

joeguevara

breezy1985 wrote: »

I worked somewhere similar in the past and the pricing was cost+bill+wages so if we gave in to hagglers the shop would have closed due to lack of funds as there was no premiums put on the price and no one was making a ball of money out of the place.

I think places that expect hagglers just up the price and let the hagglers haggle down to the price it was intended to be anyway

Cost+bills+wages, was there no addition for profit? If not, what were the owners doing it for?

pickarooney

mariaalice wrote: »

Sale people are on a commission in 99% of those type or retail situations that is where the haggling comes in.

So you want me to waste my time arguing with you so
you can take away the commission I should be earning dealing with you ? GTFO

Hyperbollix

I like a haggle for items that everyone understands are up for a haggle over, ie when buying something second hand online, especially cars. Have been to a few countries where haggling is king and at first it was off putting up began to enjoy it.

Wouldn't bother with haggling in retail in Ireland even for items like a big tv. I just get the best price for the model I want and go with that. I checked out a laptop in Harvey Norman a few years back and after getting the sales pitch from the young fella on the floor, I said I'd buy it if there was a 10% discount on the sticker price. He looked at me like a was speaking Japanese and more or less said there's no discounts, buy it or don't. So I didn't.

completedit

Too much stress.

Seamai

I could be wrong but I've always seen it more of a country than a city thing. I know a few who do it and they are all come from well off farming backgrounds, they're also quite tight in other ways and I think that might be one of the reasons that many here don't do it. Meanness has always been seen as a major flaw in Ireland and asking for a discount could be seen as an extension of this.

breezy1985

joeguevara wrote: »

Cost+bills+wages, was there no addition for profit? If not, what were the owners doing it for?

The owner took a set wage. If there ever was a little profit there was always something needed fixing or replacing in the shop.

And before anyone jumps in he drove aCorolla and lived in a working class estate in the city so it was no mega wage he was taking

breezy1985

Hyperbollix wrote: »

I like a haggle for items that everyone understands are up for a haggle over, ie when buying something second hand online, especially cars. Have been to a few countries where haggling is king and at first it was off putting up began to enjoy it.

Wouldn't bother with haggling in retail in Ireland even for items like a big tv. I just get the best price for the model I want and go with that. I checked out a laptop in Harvey Norman a few years back and after getting the sales pitch from the young fella on the floor, I said I'd buy it if there was a 10% discount on the sticker price. He looked at me like a was speaking Japanese and more or less said there's no discounts, buy it or don't. So I didn't.

It used happen working in nightclubs too where fellas think they can haggle 3 for 2 on shots or whatever. Most staff these days like your man above have no say in price and all they can do is press a button on a till and would be sacked for charging anything other than the price the till says. The money and the stock need to add up to what the till says and there is no wriggle room

freshpopcorn

I suppose it depends on the situation.
People will probably do it for a car or maybe a large electrical item and at a car boot sale.
However some of the hagglers I know ask discounts in places like Hestons or Tesco and the sales assistant doesn’t what to do.
Then the haggler gets offended when the sales assistant can’t give a discount.

gmisk

I would say I am pretty good at it especially when it comes to service providers like gas, electricity, tv etc always push a hard bargain (politely) and get a good deal.
Always haggle on white goods as well, but do my research before hand.

In general though Irish people are abysmal at haggling

breezy1985

gmisk wrote: »

I would say I am pretty good at it especially when it comes to service providers like gas, electricity, tv etc always push a hard bargain (politely) and get a good deal.
Always haggle on white goods as well, but do my research before hand.

In general though Irish people are abysmal at haggling

When it comes to bills shopping around and playing them off each other a bit can be well worth it

Seamai

I worked for a wholesale company for years where we had a tiered discount structure, everyone got something without even asking.
Customers spending more or paying up front rather than on account would get a bit more if they asked but what used to really annoy me were those who even after getting discount would turn around and say when the bill came to something like €532, "you'll take €500?" If it was me dealing with them I'd point out their discount on the invoice and was usually met with "shur 'twas worth trying", though I had a few colleagues who couldn't say no.

Church on Tuesday

I offer a lower price and then take things from there, do a lot of buying and selling on Adverts but you will get some chancers.

chuky_r_law

i find when haggling the best thing is to wait for the other person to say their price. even if i'm selling something i always put the price at more than i actually want for it. if i get that price, well, even better! but if you are dealing with someone who is going to haggle then wait to see what they offer first. then haggle your way up.



if the shoe is on the other foot i always ask if they can do any better on the price. once they say their reduced price i would use that as the starting point. sometimes you can get a better deal. but generally that is what i find...whoever names their price first has lost

Greyfox

I never haggle in Ireland, it feels wrong and unless it's clear there's room for this I find it rude. I worked in retail before and i hated people who tried to haggle.

freshpopcorn

Greyfox wrote: »

I never haggle in Ireland, it feels wrong and unless it's clear there's room for this I find it rude. I worked in retail before and i hated people who tried to haggle.

‘’Is that the best price you can do?’’

Uncle Pierre

Have a look at adverts.ie and you'll see some real stupid haggling going on.

I was watching an item recently that I didn't really want but was keeping an eye on out of interest. Seller had first listed it at €80 and over time had dropped the asking price, first to 70, then to 65, and then to 62.

Then somebody made an offer of €60.

Seller: Come up to €62 and we have a deal. I've already dropped the price from €80.
Other person: No. €60 is the best I can do.

To me, that's just stupid.

hardybuck

Greyfox wrote: »

I never haggle in Ireland, it feels wrong and unless it's clear there's room for this I find it rude. I worked in retail before and i hated people who tried to haggle.

The price on an item is an 'invitation to treat', i.e. inviting the consumer to make an offer for the price that's displayed.

joeguevara

hardybuck wrote: »

The price on an item is an 'invitation to treat', i.e. inviting the consumer to make an offer for the price that's displayed.

Try that in Centra for a litre of milk. It is completely dependent on the item and the way it is advertised. The deckchair case explains it quite well. Forget the name.

rapul

Was in Turkey in 05 and 07 I think, but haggling was great craic over there, you were already a millionaire from the exchange rate but you could talk everyone down, just shows you how cheaply made everything was I guess, but definitely was a way life over back then from what I could see

joeguevara

rapul wrote: »

Was in Turkey in 05 and 07 I think, but haggling was great craic over there, you were already a millionaire from the exchange rate but you could talk everyone down, just shows you how cheaply made everything was I guess, but definitely was a way life over back then from what I could see

You were haggling for tourist tat and knock off clothes. Its not a way of life only in the tourist resorts for tourists.

kowloon

I suck at haggling, but I'm fine with auctions.

anheneti

Pintman Paddy Losty wrote: »

I buy most things for work on credit and do my haggling after the fact. You're in a much stronger position to knock some money off after the goods have arrived and are in your possession.

There's enough people desperate for business out there that you can just move supplier if they don't like it.

As a supplier to the construction industry I’d never deal with you again, we have prices agreed before anything is given on credit

hardybuck

joeguevara wrote: »

Try that in Centra for a litre of milk. It is completely dependent on the item and the way it is advertised. The deckchair case explains it quite well. Forget the name.

Ah but we're talking about sensible stuff here. You're going from one extreme (not haggling over anything) to another.

pgj2015

Uncle Pierre wrote: »

Have a look at adverts.ie and you'll see some real stupid haggling going on.

I was watching an item recently that I didn't really want but was keeping an eye on out of interest. Seller had first listed it at €80 and over time had dropped the asking price, first to 70, then to 65, and then to 62.

Then somebody made an offer of €60.

Seller: Come up to €62 and we have a deal. I've already dropped the price from €80.
Other person: No. €60 is the best I can do.

To me, that's just stupid.

I bought something for 25 euro on adverts lately, second hand in perfect condition, brand new online was 90 euro. someone offered 24 euro.

I was selling a pine door once on it for 30 euro(sold it for 30), I saw a better one for 10 euro on adverts and some chancer offered 5 euro. I would chop it up for firewood before i would have sold it for 5 euro.

A lot of the time it is people who have loads of money who are the miserable hagglers.

CrankyHaus

IME haggling for consumer goods is usually a byproduct of a flawed market.

Someone buying tourist tat in Turkey has no idea what the stuff is worth and no easy access to other prices for it elsewhere, so they engage in a negotiation on price with the seller, who's taking advantage of their ignorance by starting with a ridiculously high price. Half the time the buyer's not even completely sober.

Someone buying a verified and reviewed item in Ireland like a TV can compare prices between sellers online and go for what's best. There's less room for haggling because the seller will need to have the item reasonably priced to get people in the door in the first place.

The idea that beating some lucky lucky man down from €20 a pair of knock off sunglasses to 2 for €10 is a vital skill we all need is ridiculous.

Haggling B2B, personal utilities/insurance/finance, cars, houses and more bespoke products or services is a different story obviously.

joeguevara

hardybuck wrote: »

Ah but we're talking about sensible stuff here. You're going from one extreme (not haggling over anything) to another.

The milk was just a quip. I was just saying that invitation to treat is not uniform.