Haggle on the high street

Customer service assistants often say they're not allowed to give discounts, but if you're new to haggling, an easy start point is asking them to throw something in on top. Whether it's free cables with TVs, polish with shoes or a fridge with a kitchen, if you need an add-on, try not to pay extra for it.

To prove no ask's too cheeky, one MoneySaver persuaded an electrical-shop sales assistant to throw in a £60 George Foreman grill with a £500 laptop.

If the price is already reduced – in a sale, manager's clearance or online promotion – there's often more flexibility. The boundaries have already been flexed and the psychological loss for the salesperson is reduced as they've already given up on the idea of getting full price.

Towards the end of a sale is a golden haggling opportunity, as shops are keen to reclaim their display space for new stock. It's worth pointing this out in a friendly way. For a detailed example:

Discounts are often available for bulk-buying. This may mean stocking up for a year, buying combinations of products, or even going with a gang of mates who want to buy something similar.

The advantage you have is you're going to hand over a lot more business, and you may secure a reduction because of it.

Spot a window offering live chat with a help person when browsing an online retailer? Don't dismiss it – this can be a route to hidden deals. To test this, we chatted to 10 retailers via live help, asking a few questions about a product before requesting a discount.

Three stores offered us discounts: Nike a 10% off code; Dell £55 off a £779 laptop; and Dyson an extra £10 off a £350 vacuum that was already in the sale, plus a free tool kit. For full info see Haggle via online live chat and if you're successful, please let us know in the Shopping secrets forum thread.

Whether it's haggling via online help chats, hidden codes on price tags that reveal if items'll be on sale shortly or abandoning shopping baskets on websites to score discounts, often ways to save are hidden. Our Shopping secrets guide lists things shops don't want you to know – many are insider secrets divulged by shop workers.

If you're haggling face-to-face, an assistant manager or supervisor is a good person to bargain with. They have more discretion than most of the shop staff, understand the retail game a bit better and are used to pleasing customers. Go to the very top, though, and the person will be short of time, and not bothered about one small sale.

Sales staff have weekly, monthly or quarterly targets on the amount of warranties they can sell. Reaching this target's often crucial to them, so it gives consumers a real bargaining tool on products they're likely to flog warranties with.

The best bit is you're free to change your mind within 45 days of purchasing under The Supply of Extended Warranties on Domestic Electrical Goods Order 2005. So buy the knocked-down item then cancel the policy for a full refund. (This applies to service agreements and insurance products.)

One MoneySaver got a Sony LCD TV reduced from £1,000 to £750.

As negotiations come to a close, a classic sales technique is staying silent. They want you to accept the price just to fill the awkward silence. Make them fill it with a cheaper offer.

Don't target retailers in isolation, play a number off against each other. This has two advantages: it gives you a solid foundation and it prods their competitive instincts in your favour, as they want to prove they're better than the opposition.

Many high street retailers will price-match internet prices when pushed. To find the cheapest e-tailer, use a shopping comparison site or shopbot.

A shopbot – or shopping robot – saves you time by trawling through selected e-tailers to find the cheapest deal. Sites like Google Shopping and PriceRunner search for the lowest prices on clothes, electronics, appliances, toys and more.

Print the results or show them on your mobile and see if the shop will match the price. If you're feeling naughty, keep your thumb over delivery costs. There's more on this in the Cheap online shopping guide.

Negotiating with independent retailers, where you can speak directly to the owner, is often a better bet than a chain, as there's more leeway.

This is because in owner/retailer shops, the owner has complete discretion, so a smile and a hint that you'll become a regular shopper can work wonders.

Better still, become a regular. Somewhere you give your custom frequently is likely to look after you. Put all your business through them, provided they'll price-match the best deals you can get elsewhere.

Towards the end of a firm's financial year or monthly target, retailers and sales people are often much more willing to haggle. At this point, it's the volume rather than profit that really counts, so they're willing to cut margins down to a sliver, just to make sales. This is also the time when head office sends down special deals and sweeteners.

If you're in doubt about when a firm's financial month/year end is, assume it's the calendar month and the tax year. As a general rule, the end of Saturday is fortuitous and the last Saturday of the month is the hottest date in the haggling calendar.

For more info on this, read the Best Time To Haggle forum thread, where we asked MoneySavers working in sales to share their tips.

Don't talk about your payment method until it's necessary. Sellers prefer debit cards to credit cards, so request a discount for using a debit card.

If a firm has its own financing options, it may be worth hinting you're interested, without committing, as there's often good commission on finance. They'll be more disposed to give a bigger discount. Though don't actually use their financing options: they're generally expensive.

Watch out for obsolete models, such as older Blu-ray players and cameras, usurped by newer versions. If it's the last one left, offer to 'help them clear their shelves for restocking'.

It's worth knowing electrical shops sometimes use price codes to secretly communicate to staff which models need to be shifted quickly to make way for new stock.

According to shop staff we asked and forumites with inside knowledge, the key to these codes lies in the last digit of a price. While most prices end in 9 (or 0), if one ends in 7 or 8 (eg, £19.97, £109.98 etc), it usually means that model has been discontinued. If the price ends with a 1, eg, £5.91, the item is often especially old clearance stock.

Try not to haggle when a shop is crammed with other customers. The last thing salespeople are interested in is reducing their margins when they can see lots of people willing to buy. Go during times of shopping serenity, such as midweek mid-mornings.

Use shopping comparison websites to set a target price before you shop. These sites search the net to find the cheapest deal, whether you're shopping for clothes, games, toiletries or owt else.

Before diving in, do some haggling reconnaissance work, just as a professional negotiator would. This site's a mine of useful information on all manner of products, from iPhones to facemasks. Search to discover what deals and vouchers are available, then use them as a bargaining tool.

Say you're buying a camera and you unearth that Canon recently gave £50 cashback on your desired model. This could well mean the price is negotiable.

If you're nearly ready to buy, start to use true sales negotiation language. Let them know the exact conditions they must meet to close the sale. But don't be afraid to walk away if they won't give you what you want – you can always try elsewhere.

A full list of stock phrases to help grease the wheels:

The same thing can be said in many ways. Find the phrase you're most comfortable with and then use the rest to bolster your negotiation.

If it was on sale, but that's ended, you know they're willing to accept that price. And if a kitchen company offered you 10% off as long as you bought before a certain date, chances are you will be able to get a similar discount after that date too.

You're more likely to get a result if the staff member empathises with you. If you're polite, charming and treat the whole process with humour, you'll get further. The trick's to work with what you've got, as this story from Martin shows.

Remember, do it with humour, do it with style and there's no price or suggestion too outrageous. You can haggle virtually anywhere for anything.