How to Haggle over Everyday Items!

In this tough economy, everyone's trying to save money. Now you may have heard you can haggle for big-ticket items, like a car or a pricey vacation. But did you know you can haggle for everyday run-of the-mill stuff, as well?

"Early Show" Consumer Correspondent Susan Koeppen shared some ways to haggle for the best price possible.

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Haggling, Koeppen says, might make you feel a little uneasy at first.

But she says, "You just have to have the guts to ask. We saved some serious money on everything you see here. Let's start with this carry-on suitcase. We saw it at a luggage store for $100. All we did was ask for a discount, and they dropped the price, at first, only five dollars. But we wanted more, and we ended up with a 10 percent discount. So the suitcase started at $100.00, and with that 10 percent off, we were able to get it for $90.00."

You can also haggle for food.

We haggled at some fruit stands, she said.

"These mangoes were selling for $2.50 for a pair. But when we asked for a discount, they instantly cut the price by 10 percent to $2.00. We got an even better deal on these blueberries. They were originally $7.50 for three boxes. But just by asking, we received a 33 percent discount. Our final price: just $5.00. If you do haggle for produce, just make sure the quality is good."

You can also get discounts on flawed products. She showed how she got 10 percent off a jacket.

"It has a small pull on the back," she said. "It's something you could easily fix at home. But haggling works. It originally sold for $40 and we got 10 percent off. Our final price: $36.00."

And another dress Koeppen found was missing a tiny bit of thread.

"It's something so minor you really can't even see it," she said. "But it was enough for us to try to get a deal. And we got one. The dress was on sale for $150. We received a 10 percent discount for a final sale price of $135."

You can even haggle online!

"It's really not that hard," she said. "And if you're too embarrassed to haggle in person, you might want to try haggling online first. I went to the outdoor clothing store website, Moosejaw.com, and clicked on the option for a live chat. I typed in 'I was wondering if you have any promotional codes I can use to get 20 percent off some gear or free shipping?'"

The response?

Koeppen said she received this message: "We have a free shipping promotion for orders over $49.00. I don't know of a 20 percent off promo, but we do have a 10 percent off offer."

She then gave Koeppen the promo code, which wasn't on their website.

You can also haggle over medical care.

She explained, "We had staffers call about the cost for some basic medical procedures, and by offering to pay cash, we got substantial discounts. For instance, the price of a knee MRI dropped from $1,800 to $600. That's a 67 percent discount."

So are there any pitfalls to haggling?

Koeppen said, "You'd better be sure you really want whatever you're haggling for. Because, sometimes, once they give you the deal it's yours! No returns, final sale!"