Looking for a bargain? Let's make a deal

Prostitution might be the oldest profession, but before the "transaction" could take place, there was probably haggling -- the act of bargaining to get a seller to lower the price. Fortunately, striking a deal on everyday products and services doesn't need to be so illicit.

While most of us might wrangle over prices at a car lot or a garage sale, haggling outside the obvious venues is not very Minnesotan. Most Minnesotans would no sooner negotiate at Best Buy or Macy's than substitute porcini caps for cream of mushroom soup in their hotdish.

As gas and food prices pinch our wallets like never before, haggling, once learned, can easily shave household expenses by 5 to 10 percent, according to Jeff Yeager, author of "The Ultimate Cheapskate's Road Map to True Riches."

But where do you begin?

Minnesotans aren't natural hagglers, said Amr Barrada, a psychologist with a practice in Edina.

"We're all about being genteel and decent and not upsetting the apple cart," he said. "Haggling incites negative emotions."

Even Minnesotans who get haggling right might still feel they got it wrong, Barrada said.

"Getting the upper hand makes us feel guilt and shame, another reason to stay away from it," he said.

To get started, accept that initial attempts will be clumsy. Telling a retailer, "This piece is way overpriced," is not a good beginning. In some cultures, such as in Egypt, where Barrada was raised, it's an art.

When Barrada asked his mother how she got to be so good at it, she said that the most important thing is to praise the retailer's merchandise, not criticize it.

Serial haggler David Gotlieb of Golden Valley believes that the most important part of successful haggling is to be nice. Gotlieb, who successfully haggled over a $100 pair of jeans at Marshall Fields several years ago, said he might say, "I like these jeans. I'm not sure they're worth $100 to me. Does $80 interest you?"

Gotlieb estimates that he tries to negotiate prices 70 percent of the time and is successful about 30 percent of the time. If he gets turned down, he never gets upset. Gotlieb has haggled at national big-box stores but has a higher success rate at smaller, independent stores.

"I shop for clothes out of state, and at a minimum I get them to take off the sales tax when I tell them I'm from Minnesota," he said.

Sometimes you have to play the retailer's game, said Barb Stapf of New Hope. She asked unsuccessfully for a discount on a GPS unit at Office Depot. Even Office Depot's store coupons specifically excluded GPS. Stapf brought in a Circuit City coupon for $40 off any purchase over $200 and asked Office Depot to match it, which they did.

"Flexibility is key," she said.

Asking a retailer to take $50 off "just because" isn't very productive, said Kevin Brasler, managing editor of Consumers' Checkbook. Consumers rarely have a sense for what a good price is unless they've done some homework online or pounded the pavement.

One way to haggle without feeling as if you're haggling is to call around to several retailers and get bids. Ask to speak to a manager and say that you are in the market to buy the major item but that you are calling once -- and only once -- to get the best price.

The retailers' perspective

Pat Fleetham, whose family was in the furniture business until recently closing ReFurnish in Bloomington, said the serious hagglers are often from other countries where bargaining is common. The hard-core bargainers start by asking for a 50 percent discount, which is insulting.

"I usually walk away at that point," Fleetham said. "Ten to 20 percent is a more reasonable offer."

At Brand Name Deals in Fridley, not a day goes by without customers requesting an extra discount, manager Pat Kyllonen said. She stresses that customers ask, not demand, a discount. How a person asks makes a big difference in the outcome, she said.

Kyllonen explained that managers must provide a reason for giving an extra discount, so the customer should be prepared to give one. Is there a flaw? Been on the sales floor for a long time? Overpriced? Missing parts? Does the customer want to purchase a large quantity?

Barrada admits his mother's haggling skills didn't get passed down. When he was in a bazaar in Cairo, he said to merchants, "Everything is so cheap. Why don't you raise your prices?" His sister quickly told him to zip it.

John Ewoldt • 612-673-7633 or jewoldt@startribune.com. His articles are online at www.startribune.com/dollars.