Save Money- Bargain!

It seems that everyone has access to the internet these days. Along with the internet comes a vast amount of information on products, which is leading to an increase in the bargaining power of consumers. Also, a slow down in the economy forces consumers to want lower prices on the products they buy. An article in The New York Times, “Even at Megastores, Hagglers Find That No Price Is Set in Stone,” looks at how bargaining has become more popular in recent years.

Bargaining used to be very popular, but it died out as major stores started setting their prices. While some megastores still have their prices set in stone, others are giving their employees the go-ahead to bargain with customers on items such as electronics, clothes, and furniture. Most consumers don’t know they can go into stores such as Home Depot or Best Buy and negotiate prices for goods, but it is happening more and more because the economy is giving consumers a reason to put in the effort to get lower prices. A recent bargainer, David Achee says, “You can negotiate, but you have to do your research.” (1). Achee found a pair of Polo jeans he liked online for $65. He then found them in the store for $75 where he negotiated the price down to $50. Nancy Koehn, a retail historian at Harvard says, “Call it the ebay phenomenon.” (1)

The end of the article points out that bargaining has been somewhat of a cycle; it used to be common to bargain but then it became “cool” to not have to bargain, sort of a rich versus poor status. Priya Raghubir, a professor at the University of California, says, “In the past, when you tried to get yourself a deal and it was an embarrassing thing — the kind of thing you did if you couldn’t afford to pay,” she said. “Now it’s about being a smart shopper.” (1). Maybe if everyone starts “shopping smart,” retailers will have to lower their prices… so do your research.



Citation:
Richtel, Matt. "Even At Megastores, Hagglers Find That No Price Is Set in Stone."
The New York Times. (23 March 2008) 24 March 2008.
[http://www.nytimes.com]. Path: Most Popular; Most Blogged.