... .. ... GM plans to cut the haggling over car prices. Will it work?

[Vic]

Originally posted by: Nebor
Name calling... harsh. Are you a P&N kinda guy? Because usually we have discussions here without being mean to one another. 🙁

Originally posted by: Nebor
You don't see your Nascar hat on sale at Walmart, then go in and try to get it for less.

Originally posted by: Nebor
I simply can't haggle myself. It's not in me. It seems petty and cheap.

Originally posted by: Nebor
There's no difference between haggling at a car dealership and haggling at Nordstroms. It's not acceptable in polite society.

Originally posted by: Nebor
I couldn't have said it better. America is a little too "first world" for haggling. And haggling is certainly not PC.

:roll:

 

[Nebor]

I didn't attack anyone personally at all. I spoke only for myself.

And I love NASCAR.

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: Vic

To allow the use of your analogy, if that Nascar hat was on sale for a lower price at Target, I'd get it there. That is still haggling. Make sense, O lowest-common-denominator snob?

no, you wouldn't. you go to wally world for the thing you saw that is really cheap. and then they count on you buying something else that isn't. because they know that no, you aren't going to drive across the freeway, battle traffic, parking lots, etc, on the off chance that the price at target is lower. and what if it isn't? then you just wasted all that effort. wally world knows this, as does every other retailer on the planet. they advertise something at a low price to get you in the store, because they know that once you're there you'll probably buy something else.

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: Vic
To allow the use of your analogy, if that Nascar hat was on sale for a lower price at Target, I'd get it there. That is still haggling. Make sense, O lowest-common-denominator snob?

no, you wouldn't. you go to wally world for the thing you saw that is really cheap. and then they count on you buying something else that isn't. because they know that no, you aren't going to drive across the freeway, battle traffic, parking lots, etc, on the off chance that the price at target is lower. and what if it isn't? then you just wasted all that effort. wally world knows this, as does every other retailer on the planet. they advertise something at a low price to get you in the store, because they know that once you're there you'll probably buy something else.

Depends on the price of the item. And the retailers know that as well. That the more expensive the item, the more likely it is that the consumer will drive across the freeway, battle traffic, parking lots, etc, and the more likely it is that the consumer will have checked prices before even leaving the house. In fact, that's one of the points I was trying to make. The more expensive the item, the greater the haggling. And cars are the 2nd most expensive item that typical consumers buy.

 

[91TTZ]

I think a lot of people need to defend the status quo, even if it makes no sense. Why would you want to haggle for one item, when all the other items you buy require no haggling? When you buy food from the supermarket or go to Best Buy, do you haggle with them? No, each item has a fixed price. Why should it be any ifferent with cars?

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: 91TTZ
I think a lot of people need to defend the status quo, even if it makes no sense. Why would you want to haggle for one item, when all the other items you buy require no haggling? When you buy food from the supermarket or go to Best Buy, do you haggle with them? No, each item has a fixed price. Why should it be any ifferent with cars?

Text

 

[Nebor]

Originally posted by: 91TTZ
I think a lot of people need to defend the status quo, even if it makes no sense. Why would you want to haggle for one item, when all the other items you buy require no haggling? When you buy food from the supermarket or go to Best Buy, do you haggle with them? No, each item has a fixed price. Why should it be any ifferent with cars?

According to Vic, by shopping around for the lowest price (Circuit City vs. Best Buy,) we're actually haggling.

 

[MercenaryForHire]

Hold on. People get paid to go in and haggle at car dealerships?

Damn. If anyone in the Ontario region needs a Honda on the cheap, you PM my recently-graduated cash-strapped ass first. 😀

- M4H

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: Vic
Depends on the price of the item. And the retailers know that as well. That the more expensive the item, the more likely it is that the consumer will drive across the freeway, battle traffic, parking lots, etc, and the more likely it is that the consumer will have checked prices before even leaving the house. In fact, that's one of the points I was trying to make. The more expensive the item, the greater the haggling. And cars are the 2nd most expensive item that typical consumers buy.

i thought we were talking about nascar hats



of course, you used to be able to haggle at circuit city

i think big ticket items at beast buy you can haggle as well. i just haven't done it myself.

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: Nebor
According to Vic, by shopping around for the lowest price (Circuit City vs. Best Buy,) we're actually haggling.

Call it mass haggling. I really dispute your claim that you know much about marketing. You must work in the IT section of that retailer or something. Those ads and the prices on them are crafted with extreme care.

 

[91TTZ]

Originally posted by: Vic

Originally posted by: 91TTZ
I think a lot of people need to defend the status quo, even if it makes no sense. Why would you want to haggle for one item, when all the other items you buy require no haggling? When you buy food from the supermarket or go to Best Buy, do you haggle with them? No, each item has a fixed price. Why should it be any ifferent with cars?

Text

Shopping around is different than haggling. Of course I'm going to want to buy from whoever is selling it the cheapest.

But once you start asking a seller to change their price for you, that's haggling. Walking into Best Buy and trying to get them to price match something is haggling, IMO.

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: 91TTZ

Originally posted by: Vic

Originally posted by: 91TTZ
I think a lot of people need to defend the status quo, even if it makes no sense. Why would you want to haggle for one item, when all the other items you buy require no haggling? When you buy food from the supermarket or go to Best Buy, do you haggle with them? No, each item has a fixed price. Why should it be any ifferent with cars?

Text

Shopping around is different than haggling. Of course I'm going to want to buy from whoever is selling it the cheapest.

But once you start asking a seller to change their price for you, that's haggling. Walking into Best Buy and trying to get them to price match something is haggling, IMO.

When a retailer's prices are uncompetitive, consumers buy elsewhere, and its sales suffer as a result. If they wish to become competitive, they have to lower their prices. In all effect, consumers are asking the retailer to change its prices. Like I said, mass haggling.
And yes, price matching is most certainly haggling. So is waiting for a big sale. Or clipping coupons. You'd be a fool not to. "A penny saved is a penny earned."

 

[Nebor]

Originally posted by: Vic
But once you start asking a seller to change their price for you, that's haggling. Walking into Best Buy and trying to get them to price match something is haggling, IMO.

When a retailer's prices are uncompetitive, consumers buy elsewhere, and its sales suffer as a result. If they wish to become competitive, they have to lower their prices. In all effect, consumers are asking the retailer to change its prices. Like I said, mass haggling.
And yes, price matching is most certainly haggling. So is waiting for a big sale. Or clipping coupons. You'd be a fool not to. "A penny saved is a penny earned."[/quote]

If it's something you need, how could you wait for it to be on sale? If it's something you want, don't you want it now? I never understood waiting for a sale. I can understand buying something because there's a sale, but usually that's something that you hadn't even considered buying before.

 

[91TTZ]

Originally posted by: Vic

When a retailer's prices are uncompetitive, consumers buy elsewhere, and its sales suffer as a result. If they wish to become competitive, they have to lower their prices. In all effect, consumers are asking the retailer to change its prices. Like I said, mass haggling.
And yes, price matching is most certainly haggling. So is waiting for a big sale. Or clipping coupons. You'd be a fool not to. "A penny saved is a penny earned."

I draw the line when a person directly asks the retailer to change their price- right there and in person.

A retailer with bad prices just goes out of business due to corporate natural selection. That's not haggling. Either is waiting for a sale.

In-person negotiating is haggling.

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: Nebor
If it's something you need, how could you wait for it to be on sale? If it's something you want, don't you want it now? I never understood waiting for a sale. I can understand buying something because there's a sale, but usually that's something that you hadn't even considered buying before.

There are very few consumer items out there that people actually need, and new cars are most certainly not one of them.
I guess I must be different. Those things that I actually need, I buy when I need them and rarely concern myself with the price (so long as it's reasonable). But if it's something I want, then I price shop and wait for the absolute best price. Wants are not big deals to me. And I almost NEVER make an impulse purchase.

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: 91TTZ
I draw the line when a person directly asks the retailer to change their price- right there and in person.

A retailer with bad prices just goes out of business due to corporate natural selection. That's not haggling. Either is waiting for a sale.

In-person negotiating is haggling.

Retail clerks are not salespeople. Not even if the little tag on their vest says "sales associate." They're just not. That's the difference.

"corporate natural selection" ??? WTF is that? Define please.

 

[Nebor]

Originally posted by: Vic

Originally posted by: Nebor
If it's something you need, how could you wait for it to be on sale? If it's something you want, don't you want it now? I never understood waiting for a sale. I can understand buying something because there's a sale, but usually that's something that you hadn't even considered buying before.

There are very few consumer items out there that people actually need, and new cars are most certainly not one of them.
I guess I must be different. Those things that I actually need, I buy when I need them and rarely concern myself with the price (so long as it's reasonable). But if it's something I want, then I price shop and wait for the absolute best price. Wants are not big deals to me. And I almost NEVER make an impulse purchase.

How do you go shopping for clothes without making impulse purchases?

I didn't even know what a Lightning was until I saw it up on one of those tilting pedestals from the freeway. I got off and looked at it, asked if I could drive it, and was told that no test drives were allowed. Went home that night and stayed up reading about it, went back the next day and signed all the papers. I laid rubber out of the parking lot. 😀 I regret it now. I have an '01 truck with just under 7000 miles on it, I drive it maybe once a month, and I don't enjoy it at all. I'd rather have the space back in my garage. 😛

But you should thank me for being so impulsive, idiots like me fuel the economy.

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: Nebor
But you should thank me for being so impulsive, idiots like me fuel the economy.

Oh I do, I do. That's why I want to make sure that idiots like you keep doing that. Being in sales (mortgage) for more than a decade now, I know very well how this works. You make your volume off the smart people, and your commission off the idiots. 😉 🙂

 

[Chelsey]

Scion (new brand made by toyota) is doing the no haggle thing too and they're very successful. I'm waiting for my new car to get into the dealership and for a first car purchase it made things SO much easier. I got online, found all of the pure prices for dealers in my state, then went to the one that had the lowest pure price. I think that the no haggle pricing is a great thing and just might save GM from it's seemingly self-induced downward spiral.

 

[m2kewl]

i wish acura, bmw, and lexus would do this 🙁

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

OH THANK GOD!!!!! I was so sick and tired of the haggle method. I'd use carsdirect even if it cost me several hundred more for the damend car jsut so I don't have to haggle.

Oh, what are they going to do about trade ins?

Originally posted by: yellowfiero
Starting with its 2006 models, the world's biggest automaker plans to narrow the gap between sticker and actual selling prices to strengthen its brands, damaged by years of discounting. GM plans to cut the haggling over car prices. Will it work?


http://info.detnews.com/autostalk/lette...ic=GM_to_go_hagglefree&forum=autostalk

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: Acanthus
It worked for saturn, a lot of people loved the "no haggle" fixed pricing.

Oh. My. Gosh. Best deal evar. Leasing our 2005 Saturn ION was the easiest car purchase I've ever made. Price was not even an issue because all of the prices are set. You go in, look at the models you like, look at the price tags, and if you want it, you get it. It's like going to a super market or Best Buy or something - the price is set, you just buy it. I don't like haggling.

Oh, and it totally changes the salespeople's attitudes. Instead of trying to push something on you, they actually try to help you. It's a completely different experience in buying a car. Saturn has my business!

 

[QuitBanningMe]

Originally posted by: Chelsey
Scion (new brand made by toyota) is doing the no haggle thing too and they're very successful. I'm waiting for my new car to get into the dealership and for a first car purchase it made things SO much easier. I got online, found all of the pure prices for dealers in my state, then went to the one that had the lowest pure price. While I was at the dealer I saw what THEY paid for the car and it made me feel good that it was only ~$1500 profit for them instead of me getting majorly ripped off. I think that the no haggle pricing is a great thing and just might save GM from it's seemingly self-induced downward spiral.

uuugghhh....have you actually looked at the invoice/msrp spread on most cars?

 

[Chelsey]

Another addition to my $.02

Scion's got the pure price thing with all add ons too, and labor is included in purchase price! I think that people would be a lot more willing to buy from dealers and be more satisfied if the no haggle thing were standard at every dealership.

 

[QuitBanningMe]

Originally posted by: Kaido

Originally posted by: Acanthus
It worked for saturn, a lot of people loved the "no haggle" fixed pricing.

Oh. My. Gosh. Best deal evar. Leasing our 2005 Saturn ION was the easiest car purchase I've ever made. Price was not even an issue because all of the prices are set. You go in, look at the models you like, look at the price tags, and if you want it, you get it. It's like going to a super market or Best Buy or something - the price is set, you just buy it. I don't like haggling.

Oh, and it totally changes the salespeople's attitudes. Instead of trying to push something on you, they actually try to help you. It's a completely different experience in buying a car. Saturn has my business!

wow.....

Yep you are right though. I had a great attitude too when people just wanted to pay MSRP.