The art of bargaining:
Bargaining is a special art and it takes lots of practice, perseverance and years of experience to learn this art. The basic human mentality of getting the most by offering the least is the sole motivational factor behind learning and mastering this art. When both the parties feel happy after the deal, it is considered to be a good bargain. But that is very rare. And remember that there is no such place where you cannot bargain except supermarkets. There is no-one to bargain with in a super market and I think that it is sadistic. There should be some system whereby you can even bargain in a super market. But promotions and raffles would make up for that up to a certain extent. However you can never get that inner satisfaction and peace of mind in such places. I think that such establishments are not customer friendly and should be banned from using such practices. I am trying to study this art since last few years and I would like to share my valuable experience and knowledge about bargaining with people from all over the world.
If you are bargaining with people from different backgrounds, your task becomes all the more challenging. Bargaining requires an in depth study of different cultures and the behavioural pattern of these people. It is a science in itself. On the other hand it is just the question of simple common sense and use of skilled language. Your acting skills and your body language are also put through rigorous test. Remember that you should never buy anything in hurry. You get best of the bargains when you have lots of time to spare. Hence plan accordingly for your invaluable bargaining trip.
The best place to begin is any local market. Right from a small shop in a crowded market in downtown to a designer shop in glamorous shopping center, you can bargain everywhere. Remember that bargaining becomes difficult when the owner is not around and you have to deal with the employees. Hence don’t waste your time in such places. The best time for bargaining is late afternoon, when many people are not around. Let me remind you that the shopkeeper or the owner of the shop will be reluctant to bargain in front of many people. Do not wear very expensive or designer wear if you are really serious about the bargain. It means that you are sending wrong signals to your opponent. The owner of the shop is our opponent in this case. If you can afford such expensive clothes or jewelry, you can afford anything. Do not even wear torn out and dirty clothes. The opponent will think that you cannot actually afford to buy any item in his shop and are just wasting his time. Wear simple and casual clothes. To create a proper visual impact is the first step. The real test starts when you spot something in the shop that really attracts your attention and would like to buy it at any cost. Do not even give a second glance to that piece. If the owner realizes that you really like that particular item, half the battle is lost.
The next step is to go away from that item and start looking at something very expensive that you would never want to buy. Your acting skills will come in really very handy at this point of time. Select a few items(at least five) and keep them aside without even asking the price. This means that you are a good customer and will give very good business to the shop. At this point of time, owner will come and personally assist you in your selection. He/she will show you 20 more items, which are not displayed outside. Take a look at them carefully and select a few more. When I say select, it does not mean that you have to buy those items. It is just a small decoy. The time is now ripe for the final catch and you have to move very carefully. You have to bargain but at the same time maintain the interests of the owner in such a manner that he does not suspect anything. Now, you start asking the price of each item and look very surprised when he tells you the price. But don’t mention that you will buy any or all of them. Ask him for a better rate. He will lower down the prices by around 5 to 10 percent depending upon the place and situation. Just laugh and take it as joke. Tell him/her that all your time and energy is not worth such petty bargains. Instead ask him to charge the original price. It means that it is below your dignity to ask for such small bargains. You would rather not bother about it. The opponent will feel little guilty and will offer you around 20 to 30% discount this time(again depending upon your acting skills and the situation). This is what I call reverse psychology.
Remember that all this time you are just selecting things and should not mention that you want to buy these things. Ask for the price that is 30% percent less than his last quote. Tell him that you are not one time customer, you live in the neighbourhood and will be coming to his shop regularly. You should be very calm and patient all this time. Start talking with your friend in your own native language and mention certain key words like quantity, thousands, quality etc. in English. Casually pick up the piece that you really want and ask for its price. The opponent will definitely quote you the lowest price thinking that you will not buy this product but are just trying to compare the prices of other products and it will help him in selling other products that you have already selected.
If you have done your homework well(and good acting), that will be the best price for that item. Ask for another 10% reduction and most probably the shop keeper will agree to it thinking that he will make up for his margin in other items that you have selected. Accept it reluctantly(as if you are obliging him) and immediately ask him to pack it for you. For the other items that you selected, politely tell him that you find them little expensive and will come back to him after checking prices in one or two other places. Mission accomplished and you will be laughing all the way to your home with your priced possession. The problem will start when a lot of shop-owners will also read this article. You will have to wait till I study this new trend and come out with a strategy to counteract their moves. Happy Bargaining till then.
Never forget that bargaining is your birth right and nobody can take it away from you!