4 ms·

Basically, it only makes sense to haggle when the other person actually has a nontrivial incentive to make the sale. If their pay is going to be the same regard

Basically, it only makes sense to haggle when the other person actually has a nontrivial incentive to make the sale. If their pay is going to be the same regardless of the sale, "I'm taking my elsewhere elsewhere" is going to be meaningless.

silisili 5y ago
Great point. I realized that when working auto parts as a teen. There was zero incentive for me to care about sales, I just got my barely minimum wage. My manager though would always be ready to wheel and deal on big items. He told me eventually they get bonuses based on monthly sales, so would do anything to get them. Weird dynamic really. So basically you only might get a discount on non busy days when the store manager was in. This is probably why the whole 'Let me talk to the manager' stuff came about in the first place.
plorkyeran 5y ago
It also only makes sense to haggle when the other person has the authority to change the price. Retail salespeople sometimes makes a commission on sales but have no say in the price.
philjohn 5y ago
This is why, pre chip shortage, there were great times to buy cars - the end of their financial year. If a dealership sells an agreed on number of cars they get a % back on each car purchased, I've heard 5% quoted. At the end of the financial year, they quite possibly might only be a few cars away from this, and it's a big deal. I was buying a new car, and they were adamant about sticking to the list price, so I walked. A few days later they phoned up offering a STEEP discount (25%), sadly, the one they had in stock wasn't the colour or spec I wanted, and I managed to get another dealership to cut almost as much off. But it goes to show - knowing who you're buying from, knowing how they make their money, and when they need sales quick, and crucially, being ready to walk away, are important.

4 ms·

Basically, it only makes sense to haggle when the other person actually has a nontrivial incentive to make the sale. If their pay is going to be the same regard

by dataflow 5y ago

silisili 5y ago
Great point. I realized that when working auto parts as a teen. There was zero incentive for me to care about sales, I just got my barely minimum wage. My manager though would always be ready to wheel and deal on big items. He told me eventually they get bonuses based on monthly sales, so would do anything to get them. Weird dynamic really. So basically you only might get a discount on non busy days when the store manager was in. This is probably why the whole 'Let me talk to the manager' stuff came about in the first place.
plorkyeran 5y ago
It also only makes sense to haggle when the other person has the authority to change the price. Retail salespeople sometimes makes a commission on sales but have no say in the price.
philjohn 5y ago
This is why, pre chip shortage, there were great times to buy cars - the end of their financial year. If a dealership sells an agreed on number of cars they get a % back on each car purchased, I've heard 5% quoted. At the end of the financial year, they quite possibly might only be a few cars away from this, and it's a big deal. I was buying a new car, and they were adamant about sticking to the list price, so I walked. A few days later they phoned up offering a STEEP discount (25%), sadly, the one they had in stock wasn't the colour or spec I wanted, and I managed to get another dealership to cut almost as much off. But it goes to show - knowing who you're buying from, knowing how they make their money, and when they need sales quick, and crucially, being ready to walk away, are important.