'Tis The Season For Haggling Over Prices
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Haggling is "in" this holiday season.
As CBS 2's Jennifer McLogan reported, many shoppers are discovering that stores, desperate for sales and customer loyalty, are willing to negotiate.
"I love (haggling)," said Danny Holdstein, of Garden City, Long Island. "Shop around for the best price you can find."
Price-tracking tools on smartphones and other devices are growing more sophisticated and emboldening consumers to bargain.
"They can look at Walmart. They can do at Target. They can actually do it right on the store on any one of our computers, and they find a lower price, we'll match it," said Jeff Ogden, a sales clerk at Best Buy.
At stores such as Home Depot, Lowe's and Best Buy, managers are allowed to offer 10 percent below a competitor's price.
"We have an app where you can scan the product here in the store, and customers can look at product reviews," said Diego Alcocer, a manager at Best Buy.
Using websites such as DealScience.com and Greentoe.com, shoppers can discover 20 percent of big-box retailers -- and even Nordstrom -- have price-matching policies that they never advertise.
Some shoppers also haggle for an extended warranty, free delivery and free installation.
"What's happening is retailers have recognized now that they're not only competing with the store across the hall in the mall, but they're also competing against the store down the road and they're competing against online shopping," said Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst at the NPD Group.
Analysts recommend that, when haggling, don't be confrontational with store managers. The key is to be polite and confident and to make a reasonable offer.
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