Modern haggling and finding the best deals

Will department stores cut you deals? Can you negotiate with greengrocers? Seasoned shopper Nikki chronicles her attempts at making offers – and shares where she shops when she really wants to save.

I grew up going to flea markets with my parents, who always offered me the same encouragement to negotiate with dealers: the worst they can say is no.

And when I recently reignited my love of haggling, a few people did say no. But some said yes – or offered discounts before I could ask.

Here’s how it went:

Where I couldn’t haggle

The supermarket

It’s no use offering the self-checkout till £1 for a £1.65 bottle of water – it’ll just leave the transaction open until you insert the remaining coins.

The dance studio

Similarly, there’s no way to negotiate with online booking systems. Unless there are any concessionary discounts built into the system – such as being a senior, member, student or benefit recipient – it's safe to say most of us will be paying the listed class prices.

The employee-owned department store

'Is that the best you can do?' I asked when a manager told me my pink cashmere cardigan, already 50% off, would be £32.

'Or, like, is there a discount for paying cash?'

'Um, or is there a chance it’ll go on cheaper discount later?'

'Actually,' she responded at last, 'we’re offering 20% off full-price items, if you have time to browse,' and brushed me off with a smile.

Charity shops

'You will take £2! You will!'

'Sir, could you please step away from the till?'

One afternoon, I witnessed three altercations almost identical to this in three different outlets.

Demanding discounts and antagonising staff is unlikely to get results – at any shop.

Where I could haggle – and where I didn’t need to

The fruit & vegetable market

What’s sweeter than a honey mango? A free honey mango!

Buying two for £5, I was lucky enough to have the greengrocer throw in a third – no haggling required.

The antiques fair

A silver charm bracelet featuring an N, two cats and six other moving charms was clearly meant to be mine – but not for £70.

I offered £50. The game was on.

After a few spirited rounds – 'It’s less than £10 per charm!' and 'I have to make a profit, you know!' – we agreed on £60, and I promised to wear it well.

The record fair

After I found 14 singles in the £1 bin, the dealer, clearly won over by my exceptional taste, said, 'Let’s call it £10.'

The vintage shop

At the end of the day, I found two silk scarves at £7 each and three at £5 – then remembered I only had £20 in cash. How could I choose between dancing couples and 1940s cats?

My indecision paid off. Eager to start packing up, the dealer agreed to do all five for £20.

I thanked her profusely and promised to bring more cash next time.

Where I actually found the best deals

Throughout the experiment, I was consistently surprised to discover that London charity shops offered better deals than anywhere else I could haggle.

In Kingston, I found a copy of Captain Beefheart’s 1969 album Trout Mask Replica for 99p; in Twickenham, playwright Andrea Dunbar’s super-rare, out-of-print collected works for £1.99; in South Kensington, a pair of heels by my grandmother’s favourite designer for £22; and in Wimbledon, a vintage 9ct gold charm bracelet for £140.

Online selling has made it easy to research items’ values. Record dealers are increasingly determined to achieve these amounts, or their prices may already be the lowest they’ll take – as a result, they’re less interested in negotiating.

Similarly, some charity shops increasingly place exorbitant prices on scratched records or 'vintage' (read: 90s) garments, but the same places can still deliver real bargains if you know what you’re looking for.

Conclusion

Ideally, haggling should benefit both you and the seller. It’s true what my parents said; there’s never any harm in asking. But make sure you ask nicely.

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