Haggling – Do You Know How?

In these tough financial times, it’s worth honing your haggling skills – if you have any that is!  Haggling doesn’t tend to come naturally to many Brits – and a lot of other people.  If you pay full price for souvenirs in bazaars, souks and markets on your travels you are probably paying too much!

So, what does it take to master the age-old art of haggling?  The following clip shows a brilliant example of how not to do it! 

As the saying goes, ‘There’s one born every minute’ – are you one of them?  In tough financial times haggling is practised everywhere – even here in the UK!  Britons used to have a reputation for being ‘too polite’ but it seems those days may be long gone.  Asking for a discount or deal may still not come naturally to many Brits, but they appear to be catching on fast. 

According to research conducted by Hotels.com earlier in the year, Brits are plucking up the nerve to ask for discounts on anything from holidays and restaurant meals to clothing and transportation. When it comes to travelling abroad 82% of Brits admitted to haggling for items like clothing, souvenirs, camel rides, and hotel upgrades. Rather surprisingly, Brits came out on top among hagglers from France, Germany, and Spain – with the Irish coming in last.

It takes a bit of nerve and self-confidence, but once you have a taste of success there’s no turning back!  Not only will you feel very proud of yourself if you succeed, but you’ll return from your holiday shopping forays laden with many more souvenirs and gifts than you might otherwise have managed within your budget.

Although most items for sale allow for a percentage of profit, remember that profit margins may be small on low-priced items and not worth haggling over.  If the seller is obviously not interested in haggling don’t persist or become a nuisance; pay the asking price or try elsewhere.  After all, the sellers need to make a living too and in many countries the local people depend on tourism to survive.

Our travel insurance is cheap enough already – so no haggling!