Haggling for Hot Dogs

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Sp`ange

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Nov 19, 2004
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I found this article on Esquire's website and that it made a point of my haggling at Wal-Mart. Which IBWIP thought was absurd or hilarious.. I'm not quite sure.

Haggling for Hot Dogs
I've always understood that certain transactions are designed to be pushed back and forth, made with the expectation of counteroffer, laid on the table in order to be hashed out for weeks or bickered over for mere minutes in the halo of a streetlight. I like getting my price, something that acknowledges my end, makes me feel my business is appreciated. In my time I've struck deals with landlords, car mechanics, electricians, house painters, cable guys, real estate agents, drug dealers, with bullies, bosses, pimps, pit bosses, and local politicians. These people expect no less; negotiation is their creed. But I wanted to test myself.

What if I opened every transaction to a haggle? What if I made my own bid on a TiVo? A counteroffer on dry cleaning? What if I treated the list price for a dress shirt as merely a suggestion? Could I insert myself into every transaction so that price wasn't so much of an absolute? I wanted to know. For three months, I would haggle everything that came my way, insisting to everyone who would listen that price was a fluid force, a matter of argument.
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btw: I tried to get a discount on some Birkenstock sandals that we bought for Thorn the other day. No discount though. :(
 
I absolutely hate haggling. And hagglers are even worst (sorry, you are still hot, though, Spange and ERage :heart: )

It is a waste of time, a waste of effort, and I feel nothing but guilt and remorse.

If I don't like the price, I don't buy it. simple as that. when companies get the hint people aren't buying, they drop the price automatically. Then I support that business when that happens.

Or I just go to a different store with the same item but at a cheaper price. That sends a signal to the first store to drop their prices to match.

Fuck haggling.
 
I think it's an American thing to be uncomfortable with haggling. In other places people expect it. I like doing it. It gives me a sense of power over my transaction. I will not be taken for a fool by this consumer culture! It's never occured to me to haggle at Wal-Mart though. Who would you negotiate with? Their worker bees aren't authorized to do that kind of thing. When I was 18 I got a job working at an art gallery, so it was definitely a requirement of that job, and it was interesting to be on the other end of it. I doubt you can do that as an employee of one of these big box stores.
 
dbzeag said:
I absolutely hate haggling. And hagglers are even worst (sorry, you are still hot, though, Spange and ERage :heart: )

It is a waste of time, a waste of effort, and I feel nothing but guilt and remorse.

If I don't like the price, I don't buy it. simple as that. when companies get the hint people aren't buying, they drop the price automatically. Then I support that business when that happens.

Or I just go to a different store with the same item but at a cheaper price. That sends a signal to the first store to drop their prices to match.

Fuck haggling.
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Adam Smith's invisible hand waves hello.
 
Erage haggles until the vendor gets tired of him and gives in. We almost got left at a tourist stop in Mexico over a silver pendant and a Manzana Lift.
 
April25 said:
I'll haggle in other countries, but not my own.

edit: except for car or house purchases.
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So funny story, while out house shopping for new houses we asked a couple people what the process of putting an offer in entailed. They looked at us all confused "an offer?". Yea, you know, we tell you what we are willing to pay for a house and you say yay or nay. They responded with, "Oh, by law we can't accept offers, the price you see is the price you get. If it was an older home you can do offers, but not on new builds." Uh huh, sure. Needless to say we did not buy from them.
 
kiwi said:
So funny story, while out house shopping for new houses we asked a couple people what the process of putting an offer in entailed. They looked at us all confused "an offer?". Yea, you know, we tell you what we are willing to pay for a house and you say yay or nay. They responded with, "Oh, by law we can't accept offers, the price you see is the price you get. If it was an older home you can do offers, but not on new builds." Uh huh, sure. Needless to say we did not buy from them.
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That's totally messed up :lol:
 
Blondie said:
Erage haggles until the vendor gets tired of him and gives in. We almost got left at a tourist stop in Mexico over a silver pendant and a Manzana Lift.
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You weirdos haggled over an apple flavored soda?! Jezus Christ@! It's Mexico! Just put down your Roosevelt Dime and have done with it!
 
kiwi said:
So funny story, while out house shopping for new houses we asked a couple people what the process of putting an offer in entailed. They looked at us all confused "an offer?". Yea, you know, we tell you what we are willing to pay for a house and you say yay or nay. They responded with, "Oh, by law we can't accept offers, the price you see is the price you get. If it was an older home you can do offers, but not on new builds." Uh huh, sure. Needless to say we did not buy from them.
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That is true but you can write incentives into your contract.
 
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