NEW YORK, May 31, 2008
"E-Haggle" Your Way To Bargains
AOL's Regina Lewis On Hitting Web First To Get Better Deals In Stores, Car Dealerships, More
-
(AP / CBS)
-
Special Report Money Matters Get words to the wise, from the wise, on handling, making and saving money.
-
The Early Show ConsumerWatch Be informed! Our correspondents keep you posted on scams, faulty prodcuts, dangers, and more. Also -- on where to find the best deals!
As AOL Consumer Adviser Regina Lewis explained on The Early Show Saturday, it's being dubbed "e-haggling" and, with economic times as tough as they are, this is one way to get the most for your money.
Lewis says it works for almost everything, from cars, to jeans, even household repairs.
According to Lewis:
E-haggling is about using the power of the Internet to make informed purchasing decisions in a very price-sensitive climate, at a time when there are more tools and sources than ever - and increased receptivity on part of retailers and service providers.
Not since the 1850s, when department stores went to fixed-pricing, have many people even considered asking for a better deal once they see the sticker price. That's changing, as consumers are empowered by information and deals they find online. Suddenly, almost everything is negotiable via the Web. It's being called "the eBay effect."
According to a recent New York Times article, on stocked items, "Most store policies on bargaining are informal. Some major retailers, however, are quietly telling their salespeople that negotiating is acceptable."
Do your homework. Compare prices at multiple stores and check for online deals before you buy.
Start your search on a comparison shopping site, find your bargain, print it, and take it to the store as evidence to support your haggle. Make sure it's an apples-to-apples comparison; in other words, it has to be the exact product the store has.
In a nationwide survey of 2,167 U.S. households by the Consumer Reports National Research Center, most respondents who tried to talk their way to a better deal achieved some success. As the survey results show, more than 90 percent of those who haggled over furniture, electronics and appliances, floor and demonstration models, and even medical bills scored a lower price on at least one purchase during the past three years.
Asked about their biggest coup, most successful bargainers said they'd saved $50 or more. In the case of cell-phone deals and medical fees, more than one-fourth saved at least $100. (Lewis' source: Consumer Reports.org/November 2007)
Use wap.aol.com/shopping to get a better deal in a mainstream retailer
Old way: Take tag or sticker on item at face-value.
New way: Comparison shopping online/e-haggling on the fly, in-store via your cell phone; mobile comparison shopping at wap.aol.com/shopping.
When you're bargaining, you need to do it with information, even if you're getting it on the fly. That's where your cell phone comes in. It's called the "third screen," and you can and should use it to your advantage.
Mobile comparison shopping at wap.aol.com/shopping enables you to compare prices on nearly 12 million products right on your cell phone, while you're in the store. You do this by entering the product's model number or the UPC code off the box.
It works either way:
To Get Mobile Shopping on Your Cell Phone:
In your web browser on your cell phone, go to AOL Shopping by entering http://wap.aol.com/shopping. Once you're at the AOL Mobile Shopping site, enter a keyword into the search box (such as a brand name, product name or product model number). Your mobile phone will instantly display a list of products, prices and user ratings.
If you uncover a lower price online or at a retailer down the street, try showing that to the salesperson; it could move the needle in your direction, or at least help you make an informed decision.
What happens if we buy an item and, the very next week, the price drops or the item goes on sale? Go to priceprotectr.com.
Old way: Continually scanning the Sunday circulars, in-store prices, or prices on the Web. Who has time for that?!
New way: Automated "e-haggling" with price-watching sites such as priceprotectr.com. It monitors price fluctuations for you and alerts you via e-mail if there's a price drop.
At PriceProtectr.com, they watch prices so you don't have to. If an item drops in price after you purchase it, they'll notify you by e-ail so you can get a refund of the difference. To use the service, just enter the URL of the item you purchased via the Internet located on the product page. The product page is the one where you can add the product to your shopping cart. They support 112 stores including Amazon, The Apple Store, Best Buy, Circuit City, Costco, Future Shop, Sears, and Staples.
Most retailers offer what are called "price protection" policies, in which they promise to refund a portion of your purchase price, if the product you bought drops in price within a certain timeframe after you buy it. A typical period of time is 30 days. They offer this so you can feel comfortable knowing, if you buy today and the price drops next week, you're covered. It's up to you to request the refund. Durations of price-protection guarantees vary widely by retailer, from seven to 90 days.
Price Protectr.com also assists with in-store purchases: To monitor your in-store purchases, find the URL for the product on the store's Web site, then go to PriceProtectr.com and insert the URL, so the price can be tracked.
For more bargaining sites, go to Page 2.
© MMVIII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Add a Comment
- AMERICANS NEEDS TO JUST STOP IT AGAIN STOP BUYING JUNK FROM CHINA AND OTHER COUNTRYS.
ONLY BUY WHAT IS NESSESSERY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! TO SURVIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
THINK BEFORE BUYING!!!!!!!!!! DO WE REALY NEED IT!!!!!!!!!.
IS IT A WANT OR NEED????????????????????
EVERY ONE SOULD ONLY BUY NEEDS PERIOD, THIS IS ONLY GOING TO GET MUCH MUCH WORSE, AND IT WILL LAST FOR YEARS - Reply to this comment
- In an interview with the German magazine Der Spiegel on Saturday, Warren Buffett opined that the United States is already in recession, even if it''s not in the sense that economists would define it: two consecutive quarters of negative growth.
Furthermore, Buffett argues the recession "will be deep and last longer than many think."
Sounds pretty ominous. After all, Buffett is now the world''s richest man %u2013 he recently surpassed Microsoft chairman Bill Gates %u2013 and is easily one of the planet''s most successful investors.
If Buffett himself thinks the economic outlook is lousy, the average punter thinks, maybe I should get out of the market.
If you have money in the stock market that you will need in the next few months ahead, you should. (Not because the market is about to go down %u2013 although it may %u2013 but because money earmarked for short-term expenditures shouldn''t be in the market in the first place.) - Reply to this comment
- I''m going to try this will my cell phone contract. I already got Comcast to cut my cable/internet bill in HALF!!!!
- Reply to this comment
- As long as it''s shipped with care, good deals often come by e-tailers.
I still prefer brick''n''mortar for many items; easier to make exchanges or returns too. - Reply to this comment
The road ahead in Afghanistan, and the crucial decision Obama faces.
