Do you know how to negotiate for a lower price?

<em>Teri Ann Renee Paisley, Gleaner Online Writer</em>

It happens all the time, you see an item in a store you really want to buy but the price tag is above your price range so you walk away disappointed. It is hard during these difficult financial times to find the extra cash you need to buy necessary items.

How can consumers cope?
Well purchasing items on credit can be attractive but for those already facing debt this is not a viable option.
Why not try negotiating a lower price of the item?

Jamaican customers love to bargain especially with market vendors.
However, when faced with the price of items in a store, customers often choose to pay the full price or ask only half heartedly for a reduction.

I think that everyone should practise their negotiation skills.
Recently I developed my slightly rusty bargaining skills and was pleasantly surprised at the results.
I went to a store I had never visited before and saw several items that I really wanted to buy.

The cost of both items were out of my price range but instead of just leaving the store empty handed I decided to ask to speak to the manager in order to negotiate a discount.
Imagine my delight when I received a $500.00 discount on the first item and I also received an $800.00 reduction from the ticketed price on the second item.

Some might argue that the prices are inflated to accommodate a lower price to offer customers.
Although that might be true in some cases, I saw several customers walk in and purchase items at full cost after trying without success to negotiate for a lower cost.

So what is the secret of my success?
Well there isn’t a secret really but I have discovered a few things I think you can do to give your negotiation a better chance of being successful.

The first thing to do is to be a good conversationalist. A warm smile and friendly tone will make the interaction between you and the manager much more pleasant.

Next try to have a middle ground by choosing a figure that will satisfy both parties.
It does not make sense to alienate the manager by choosing an amount that is far below the ticketed price.

It is also a good idea when buying several items to ask for the best price, even if the items are already discounted. Often persons are intimidated by the first rejection of their request for a discount but it is important to be persistent.
This needs to be done in a tactful way so that it is not harassing.
You could say you need time to think about the offer then return in a few minutes to resume the conversation.

The most important thing to recognize in negotiating is when the manager is refusing to even consider reducing the price. That is the time to carefully examine the item and reluctantly pretend that you are considering leaving without the item then offer a figure nearer to the ticketed price.

Of course these techniques don’t work with everybody.
There is no reason though why you should not try to negotiate a lower price as you may just prove successful.

So how do you negotiate? Let me hear from you!

Tags: bargains, Negotiation, prices