News

Retail haggling is making a comeback

December 16, 2013

NBC News reports that this holiday season, retailers are seeing the return of a practice once mainly relegated to single-location stores, flea markets and yard sales: consumer haggling.

The report suggests that the amount of product and price data available to consumers thanks to the mobile/showrooming revolution has planted the seed in the minds of many shoppers that prices are malleable and up for negotiation.

One source mentioned in the story said he walked into both Nordstrom and Bloomingdale's in California recently, and asked employees whether they were "open to bargaining." In each case, he said, both store associates and managers immediately said yes.

Another anecdote from the piece:

When a sales clerk at Kohl's in Kennewick, Wash., recently asked Siobhan Shaw, who was buying an armload of items from the sale rack, if she would like to open a store credit card, Ms. Shaw recalled that she replied firmly: "No."

"But," she said she quickly asked, "can I get the same discount she got?" She was referring to the woman ahead of her in line, who had asked for a discount and received 15 percent off. The answer was yes.

Retailers, what are you seeing? Are your shoppers asking you to negotiate this holiday season?

Read more about consumer behavior.