Whats the best approach to some haggling at Circuit City?

[Stuxnet]

Originally posted by: alkemyst
depends on how hot she is...some of the hotter chicks will at least make you wait until their shift ends no matter what your offer is. However, once you get up to about $50-60 most will come back to your car for an hour or so.

The best approach is to wait until she is alone at the register or on the floor.

What the fsck are you talking about?

 

[AbAbber2k]

Over the weekend I haggled on some Cream cheese packets. I was all like "Dude this is for a lasagna, this packet isn't enough. Got any tubs?" "Sorry this is all we got." "Well how about you give me 5 packets but only charge me for 3?" "That sounds reasonable." "Fvckin right it does."

 

[Pathogen03]

Thats not haggling in the slightest...
thats PM and a coupon

shooting yourself in the foot.


edit

bah it didnt quote, screw that im lazy.

 

[dabuddha]

Originally posted by: HumblePie

A lot of my friends (the manager ones ) told me that they do jack up the prices quite a bit in order to make a huge profit on some of the items. But a result of doing this also allows the manager to sell the item at a lower price. A majority of the customers won't bother haggling/negotiating with the CSR and so the stores make off with quite a bit of money. Do you really think the memory stick which is being sold everywhere else for ~$120-130 and whose MSRP is $299 really costs Staples anywhere near the $349 price they're charging for it? Do you really think Worst Buy and Circuit City really paid hundreds of dollars for crappy Monster cables/products?
I will agree with you to a point about your new tv model example. But even with a new model, you can always negotiate with the CSR/manager.

Sigh, the only products with a built in high margin are periphials, car audio speakers, protection plans, installaion, and repair services. Those are the products with high markups as you put it. Here, let me show you some fun examples....

USB cable. Standard 6 foot usb cable of no maor brand sold in CC or BB or just about anywhere for $25 bucks. At one point, 2002 and before when it was commission based, and for 1 year AFTER it was no longer commission based at CC, the employ cost for that cable was $3. That means, any employee could waltz right in there and buy that cable for $3. However, at the end of 2002, employee "price" had changed. That cable now costs an employee $18 and as such a normal customer isn't going to get much of a discount at all because it shows up in the system as COST being $18. The original cost didn't change for Circuit City but it did change for the store. Tecnically, each and every store gets it's wares from the main CC corporation and are given a cost. That cost is paid by each individual store. This is how franchises operate. The selling price hasn't changed but the way the store does business has. Why? The pay structure changed. Before, if a CC store sold that cable, they would have to pay CC corp $3 for a new one, and a percentage to the employee (commission) and to the manager of that employee. Back in the day, employees, the local store, and managers had plenty of wiggle room but they didn't always like to wiggle because anything they took off was money from THEIR pockets.

Now, since everyone is hourly, the minimum price for the store is $18 on that cable so if one is sold, that is how much corp gets paid for that while the store gets $7 and the employees and managers get zero. Not so much wiggle room anymore. Some items, you'd be surprised, are sold near cost, at cost, or even below costs the majority of the time. These are the big dollar items with plenty of periphials to go with it. Computers, TVs, Camcorders, and game consoles are examples of this. You go in looking for a discount on a Camcorder and you might as well talk until you are blue in the face. It's not going to happen. Buy an extra battery or two, a bag, protection plan, tripod, extra storage media, a USB cable, some TV cables, and anything else that camera can use and you might, just might get a discount. Usually not though but it depends on how much you are buying.

This gets back to option 3 though of circumstances where you can haggle some. Then again, you are overpaying on almost every item so it's easy enough to give a discount. Overpaying on 1 item compared to an online site isn't going to get you a discount. Walking into the store to buy a USB or monster cable and expecting it cheaper then the lister price isn't going to happen. Even then it still a crap shoot as to getting the discount. I've also NEVER EVER heard of someone getting quoted on a discount price over the phone and bothering to haggle. Dude, you called anyone in my store, the most you'll get out of us is directions to the place, what we have in stock, and the price off the tag. Anything else and you are going to be disconnected mysteriously all of a sudden or if we are being polite have an urgentcustomer in real life with cash in hand to deal with. We don't and aren't suppose to do anything else on the phone. Based on the fact you said you talk to people on the phone for a deal and use internet sites as competition... LOL, I know at this point you are full of sh~t. Seriousy, stop posting because you are making a fool out of yourself.

Obviously you haven't been in the Hot deals forum much
I understand everything you've been saying but it seems you're not listening to what I'm saying. Yes those are considered to be SOP but again, my original statement, YOU CAN HAGGLE WITH THE MANAGER TO GET A LOWER PRICE!
It's that simple. It's a fact with todays retail stores. I even called up one of my friends whose a store manager at Circuit City down in Dallas to confirm this. That is the whole point.

 

[dabuddha]

Originally posted by: Pathogen03
Thats not haggling in the slightest...
thats PM and a coupon

shooting yourself in the foot.

That was just a single example. And yes it is haggling because Staples SOP says they only PM the amount - the coupon to the competitors price.

hag·gle Audio pronunciation of "haggle" ( P ) Pronunciation Key (hgl)
v. hag·gled, hag·gling, hag·gles
v. intr.

1. To bargain, as over the price of something; dicker: ?He preferred to be overcharged than to haggle? (W. Somerset Maugham).

Again, this was only a single example. Two years ago when my dad was looking for a new TV to replace our old one, he "haggled" with the CSR at Frys Electronics and paid $200 less. The manager had to come out and approve the purchase.

Last year, my brother in law purchased a new laptop from Worst Buy (didn't listen to me when I told him not to ) and he paid $150 less than what the laptop was selling for plus he got roughly $25-50 off the service plan. Again, it required the manager's approval but it was done.

 

[piasabird]

Never buy a protection plan. They are a big rip-off. This may be good for say a laptop if it covers accidental damage or theft or loss. I have not noticed any good deals at circuit city for an entire computer. Why go to an overpriced store unless you just want to see the products first hand. Sometimes you can buy an item like a Hard drive real cheap if they have a good coupon. Beware of anything you have to mail in to receive a cash back offer for.

There are exceptions to all rules. Heavy monitors cost a lot to ship and it is worth it to pay a little extra at a retail outlet. You still have to compare before you shop. My favorite way to compare is to just use the Internet.

Often DELL can beat any deal at any retailer. At these online sites they often offer specials so playing the waiting game can be advantageous. Some sites will offer a deal for only one weekend or offer free shipping or a free monior or a cheap monitor upgrade, free Camera, Free Printer, etc. Even www.amazon.com often has good deals on name brand products around christmas time with free or reduced shipping costs. All of this depends if you like going shopping at malls wasting your gas and looking for a parking place 2 miles away to buy overpriced products that you have to drag all the way out to your car. With the price of Gas it costs $20.00 just to drive around looking for a good price. Then you dont know if they will even have it in stock. Then there is bate and switch and dealing with sales people.

 

[electricJ]

Originally posted by: spidey07
You can haggle at CC and best buy and other retail chains.

You don't have to pay retail, nor should you. They will deal with you. At least the ones in kentucky.

Details of past experiences doing so?

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: jbourne77

Originally posted by: alkemyst
depends on how hot she is...some of the hotter chicks will at least make you wait until their shift ends no matter what your offer is. However, once you get up to about $50-60 most will come back to your car for an hour or so.

The best approach is to wait until she is alone at the register or on the floor.

What the fsck are you talking about?

haggling at circuit city

 

[Reckoner]

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: jbourne77

Originally posted by: alkemyst
depends on how hot she is...some of the hotter chicks will at least make you wait until their shift ends no matter what your offer is. However, once you get up to about $50-60 most will come back to your car for an hour or so.

The best approach is to wait until she is alone at the register or on the floor.

What the fsck are you talking about?

haggling at circuit city

wtf?

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: electricJ

Originally posted by: spidey07
You can haggle at CC and best buy and other retail chains.

You don't have to pay retail, nor should you. They will deal with you. At least the ones in kentucky.

Details of past experiences doing so?

"I see you have this TV for x. I'll give you y cash for it. Take it or leave it, but this will be the easiest sale all day."

 

[Stuxnet]

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: electricJ

Originally posted by: spidey07
You can haggle at CC and best buy and other retail chains.

You don't have to pay retail, nor should you. They will deal with you. At least the ones in kentucky.

Details of past experiences doing so?

"I see you have this TV for x. I'll give you y cash for it. Take it or leave it, but this will be the easiest sale all day."

The easiest sale of the day is when you have a customer who can read the pricetag.

 

[Fritzo]

Originally posted by: mflacy

Originally posted by: nutxo

Originally posted by: Kaido
Eh, I don't think you can haggle at CC man...

Sure ya can. I priced my tv at every local store that carried it ,then went in to cc and made an offer.

That's called pricematching. Haggling is what you do at a flea market or a yard sale.

Yeah, I've never seen anyone haggle at CC. They do at ABC Warehouse, but that place is pretty shady.

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: PaulNEPats

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: jbourne77

Originally posted by: alkemyst
depends on how hot she is...some of the hotter chicks will at least make you wait until their shift ends no matter what your offer is. However, once you get up to about $50-60 most will come back to your car for an hour or so.

The best approach is to wait until she is alone at the register or on the floor.

What the fsck are you talking about?

haggling at circuit city

wtf?

this is why so many have a hard time getting laid. too serious or too retarded.

 

[DarkKnight69]

Originally posted by: LeiZaK
In Soviet Russia, Circuit City haggles you!

bahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

 

[Stuxnet]

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: PaulNEPats

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: jbourne77

Originally posted by: alkemyst
depends on how hot she is...some of the hotter chicks will at least make you wait until their shift ends no matter what your offer is. However, once you get up to about $50-60 most will come back to your car for an hour or so.

The best approach is to wait until she is alone at the register or on the floor.

What the fsck are you talking about?

haggling at circuit city

wtf?

this is why so many have a hard time getting laid. too serious or too retarded.

Or you're just not that funny.

 

[J Heartless Slick]

Originally posted by: Kaido
Eh, I don't think you can haggle at CC man...

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: jbourne77

Or you're just not that funny.

wow, you showed me.

 

[FeuerFrei]

I went into Circuit City once looking for a receiver. I didn't know very much about receivers, so I started asking this salesperson questions. Some were n00b type questions. I wanted to know which brands were quality brands and brought up Yamaha. CC doesn't sell Yamaha but they do sell Onkyo. I asked how Onkyo compared to Yamaha. The salesguy said he thought they'd be about the same, quality wise. I then mentioned I'd seen a Yamaha over at Best Buy with about the same features as the Onkyo TX SR501 sitting in front of us and it was only $280. I said I thought I would go with the Yamaha at Best Buy, because the Onkyo was $300 ($20 more than the Yamaha). I was about to walk away when the salesguy told me to hang on while he went to converse with someone about adjusting the price lower. Anyway, he come back and tells me they'll sell me the Onkyo TX SR501 for $280.
So I bought it and have been very happy with it.

 

[dabuddha]

Originally posted by: FeuerFrei
I went into Circuit City once looking for a receiver. I didn't know very much about receivers, so I started asking this salesperson questions. Some were n00b type questions. I wanted to know which brands were quality brands and brought up Yamaha. CC doesn't sell Yamaha but they do sell Onkyo. I asked how Onkyo compared to Yamaha. The salesguy said he thought they'd be about the same, quality wise. I then mentioned I'd seen a Yamaha over at Best Buy with about the same features as the Onkyo TX SR501 sitting in front of us and it was only $280. I said I thought I would go with the Yamaha at Best Buy, because the Onkyo was $300 ($20 more than the Yamaha). I was about to walk away when the salesguy told me to hang on while he went to converse with someone about adjusting the price lower. Anyway, he come back and tells me they'll sell me the Onkyo TX SR501 for $280.
So I bought it and have been very happy with it.

That sure sounds like you haggled over the price to me

 

[FeuerFrei]

Originally posted by: dabuddha

Originally posted by: FeuerFrei
I went into Circuit City once looking for a receiver. I didn't know very much about receivers, so I started asking this salesperson questions. Some were n00b type questions. I wanted to know which brands were quality brands and brought up Yamaha. CC doesn't sell Yamaha but they do sell Onkyo. I asked how Onkyo compared to Yamaha. The salesguy said he thought they'd be about the same, quality wise. I then mentioned I'd seen a Yamaha over at Best Buy with about the same features as the Onkyo TX SR501 sitting in front of us and it was only $280. I said I thought I would go with the Yamaha at Best Buy, because the Onkyo was $300 ($20 more than the Yamaha). I was about to walk away when the salesguy told me to hang on while he went to converse with someone about adjusting the price lower. Anyway, he come back and tells me they'll sell me the Onkyo TX SR501 for $280.
So I bought it and have been very happy with it.

That sure sounds like you haggled over the price to me

Yeah, that's my point. I think it has to do with your approach to the salespeople. I'm just letting people know what worked for me.

 

[Stuxnet]

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: jbourne77

Or you're just not that funny.

wow, you showed me.

I didn't show you anything... just pointed out that you're not as funny as you think you are.

<waits for alkemyst to make sure he gets the last word in>

 

[dabuddha]

Originally posted by: jbourne77

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: jbourne77

Or you're just not that funny.

wow, you showed me.

I didn't show you anything... just pointed out that you're not as funny as you think you are.

<waits for alkemyst to make sure he gets the last word in>

I'm made out of rubber, you're made out of glue. Whatever you say bounces off of me and sticks on to you!

 

[Horus]

Originally posted by: jbourne77

Originally posted by: MX2times
Nothing illegal or immoral please

Pay what's on the sticker.

It ain't a car dealership.

[edit]

I worked at CC while I was in college, and nothing - NOTHING - dissuaded me more from dealing with a person than "so what's your bottom line on this?"

1. It makes you look cheap.
2. It makes you look undeducated.
3. It makes you the butt of about 20 or so jokes after you leave.

I know you're not there to be friends with the salesperson, but unless another store has it for less and you have proof, you're wasting everyone's time and making a general jackass out of yourself.

I'll take money off of a laptop if it's open box, or if they get PSP on it. I had a guy looking to buy a Vaio S640, a nice laptop. It had been open-box for almost 2 months, so I took 100 bucks off, because I wasn't gonna make comission on it anyways.

I usually cut a deal for nice people. Dicks get nothing.