Haggling on overpriced items

[jettica]

I think this might be a bit different over here in the UK because all our thrift stores are Charity shops - well at least most of them. I'd feel quite odd trying to haggle a piece down even if I think it is over priced. Won't they think me a horrible person for trying to pay less to their charity. Possibly not but how should I go about this?

There's a 'treasure chest centre' near me a sort of jumbled together flea market / antique / thrift store. I'd feel less odd about haggling with them.

Although they price none of their items. It is a pain! I feel a little put off if I have to take an item to the front of the store to ask its price.

Jet
www.feelingstylish.co.uk

xxx

[SplashsMom]

Oh- I know. I wish there would be a starting price so you get an idea of  how valuable they feel an item is.
In my younger days I would haggle more.  Now I should use the old lady on a fixed income angle.

And even if it is a charity - a sale is the goal. So price should be flexible.  (My motto.)

[mccoysnina]

Most of the shop around here don't really haggle.  But you can definetly haggle at garage sales, flea markets and junk stores.  Pointing out that a piece is way overpriced and won't likely sell is a legitimate point in my opinion, altho you always need to do it in a nice way and not in a know it all sense.   But if a sale isthe goal of the store, are you going to buy an overpriced item just because it benefits a charity?  Not likely.
Jeannie

[sneezy1974]

When I check out a customer that wants to haggle on all the prices I tell them "One deal a day, which will it be?" Of course some items are overpriced and that's an easy fix for us. Sometimes there is a particularly nice piece that just hit the floor and a customer wants a deal, if the price is a fair one then no deal. I will tell them though that if it hasn't sold in a week I will negotiate. There is an Indian family who comes to our store who apparently think they are still in the marketplace where haggling is expected and enjoyed by both parties, this gets tiresome, but it seems they are having a good time doing it. 

[Rev Bucky]

I did it once at a Goodwill, and it was because I was buying a keyboard (musical keyboard) and one of the keys were broken. 

I didn't even say a price, I just asked if they could drop a little off.  The manager cut the price in half!  That was nice.

I normally either pay their price or don't.  This was a special case, as it would probably cost me a lot more then I paid for it to fix it.

[dewdrop_me_a_line]

I don't haggle but I'll take a tag-less item up to see if they can price it. Some will – some won't. I do love to shop with my Sissy. She is great when it comes to haggling a price.

dew

[tsmanager]

Here's the guideline in my store for haggling - DON"T DO IT - we support over 120 children each year on our campus and every cent to get goes back to them. I will not even talk to someone about price if the item just went out on the floor. Our store has regular sales. One color is on sale every week. So there always a bargain. And then if I get over run with one particual item I will run it on sale. Like starting tommorrow every picture , print and frame in my store will be $2.

[Good Buddy]

Here's the guideline in my store for haggling - DON"T DO IT - we support over 120 children each year on our campus and every cent to get goes back to them. I will not even talk to someone about price if the item just went out on the floor. Our store has regular sales. One color is on sale every week.

You shouldn't be so firm on this policy. at least consider the offer.
Making your shoppers happy will keep them coming back.
I know managers that ALWAYS let people haggle and they make tons of money for their charity.

[valleythriftshopper]

Our regional Salvation Army thrift stores are not allowed to alter the price on any items for customers.  In fact if you find an item that is not marked they are not allowed to sell it to you, it has to go back into the processing room to be priced and put out on the floor later.  Out of the two Sal Armys in my neighborhood, one adheres to this policy with no exceptions, the other Sal Army will put a price on something for you if it had no price most of the time. 

I think the most annoying thing about the Salvation Army is that the stuff seems to be overpriced so that when it goes down to half price it seems more appealing.  I think if you have real sales, not just marking the item to get the price you want when it goes half-off, it is OK not to allow haggling in general.

If you have an item that has been sitting around for a while, taking a best offer might be a good idea.

I know the regional manager in this area is very uptight, maybe not all Sal Army stores have these policies.

[Mattie]

It rarely works but occasionally I'll try it.  On New Year's Day I found a 1939 high school yearbook at Thrift Town.  It was marked $24.99, which seemed insane to me.  I casually asked an employee who was stocking shelves nearby, "Is this price correct?"  She gasped and said, "Oh, that can't be right - let me check with my supervisor."  When she came back she apologized and said yes, the price was correct, because the book was old.  I laughed and said, "Well, I can't afford it, but okay."  I kinda figured I wouldn't get a deal because Thrift Town always overprices things that look "vintage," but it was worth a try.

I used to get deals at St. Vincent when a guy named Kenny worked in the furniture/housewares/electronics departments.  If I so much as showed an interest in something, he'd come by and tell me, "I'll give you half off if you want that."  Those were the days...

[valleythriftshopper]

It rarely works but occasionally I'll try it.  On New Year's Day I found a 1939 high school yearbook at Thrift Town.  It was marked $24.99, which seemed insane to me.  I casually asked an employee who was stocking shelves nearby, "Is this price correct?"  She gasped and said, "Oh, that can't be right - let me check with my supervisor."  When she came back she apologized and said yes, the price was correct, because the book was old.  I laughed and said, "Well, I can't afford it, but okay."  I kinda figured I wouldn't get a deal because Thrift Town always overprices things that look "vintage," but it was worth a try.

I used to get deals at St. Vincent when a guy named Kenny worked in the furniture/housewares/electronics departments.  If I so much as showed an interest in something, he'd come by and tell me, "I'll give you half off if you want that."  Those were the days...

Maybe Kenny liked you  .  If you are a female it is definitely better to ask a guy employee for stuff. 

The price on the yearbook is way too much if it is just a run of the mill high school yearbook.  Some people do collect yearbooks but the college ones are typically more collectible, even then they often go for less than $25.00 unless there is something interesting about it.  A yearbook can be valuable if someone notable is in it or an important sports team, etc is pictured.   One of my local Sal Army stores usually overprices everything vintage, I do very little business there.

[Truly Rare]

I haggle all the time, but since most of hte local thrift stores know me by now, they are pretty great about giving me good deals. Especially the one I volunteer at. She sold me a dinosaur the other day for a 1.00 it was the recent dinosaurs you see at Walmart recently that light up and move..and close it's mouth it was over 35 at Walmart..and the great part it was half off time at Goodwill, So I paid a total of 50 cents for it. I'm keeping it for my kid though, but it was exciting cause I almost bought it at Walmart I'm glad I didn't

[daswitzer]

I never haggle at our GW.  Sometimes the employees would give me a good deal, because I shop there so much and they like me.  Well, that all came crashing to a halt when all of the employees got fired last month.  It's all hush-hush and even when the customers ask the fired crew what happened, they won't say.  So, now we have a bunch of greenies working there and they've been trained by the staff of a much larger GW from a big city and they are do everything strictly by the book.  I hate that.  Once in a while there should be an exception.  For instance, if there is a pair of curtains and one of the panels is not there, they should charge less.  The old crew did that, the new crew.....brick wall.

[valleythriftshopper]

I hate it when a good store goes to a bad store because of staff changes.  I have heard several people say they won't donate anything nice to one of our local Sal Armys because of that.  It will be interesting to see if the quality of the merchandise at that GW declines, hope not for your sake. 

[jolin]

Our store dates the items when they go on the floor.  After two months they go on sale or are removed from the floor.  If someone asks for a reduced price, we look at the date and if it's before the two month time, we tell them that it has to be on the floor a certain length of time before we reduce it.  If it has been on the floor the two months, we will reduce by half off.