Haggling 101

Those of you know Brandon and me know that we are nice “blue” people. We worry about other people and about what other people think about us. Haggling is a hard thing to do. We hate it. The first job offer I received here in Kansas City offered me a low wage and I haggled for a hire wage. The outcome of that incident wasn’t good. They withdrew the job offer completely. At that point, I used an agency to find a job.

Brandon and I have been looking for a washer and dryer for our new townhouse. We decided that we should buy used because we don’t know what life holds in store and where and when we will move next. We spent some time on Craig’s List but those are first come, first serve and we will only have a moving truck on Saturday morning which limits our ability to buy one. While looking online we found a used appliance store and after work today we went to check it out.

We were greeted by a 7 ft tall, well-built man. He told us where the washer and dryers were and then followed us to the back of the building, ducking under the door frames. We picked the one we wanted and then I asked Brandon if we should try to get the price down. He was concerned that this was a business, not someone’s house. We decided to go for it anyway and I said I would do the talking. We showed the 7 ft tall man what we wanted and then mentioned that Craig’s List has them for $100 cheaper. He mentioned the warranty. I mentioned that the machines shouldn’t break down to begin with. Brandon asked about a dent in the machine and the man said it was already factored into the price. I suddenly realized that I hadn’t decided how much I wanted him to reduce the price, but I had already opened my mouth and out came, “well can you take 10 or 20 off the price?” I meant $10 or $20.

Hesitantly he said he would take 10% off the price ($34). Brandon and I agreed. After the fact we realized just how naïve we are. I think haggling takes some practice. At least we are learning to ask.