B2 – Upper Intermediate
Bargaining or haggling is a type of negotiation in which the buyer and seller of a good or service debate the price of a transaction. Not all purchases are open to bargaining. Typical places where bargaining is common include markets, antique shops, and second-hand car shops.
Click the link and read a few guidelines to help us get the best bargain. Answer the discussion questions that follow:
https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/money/how-to-haggle
Discussion Questions:
- Is bargaining an acceptable practice in your country?
- In what kinds of shops is it acceptable?
- Do you like to bargain?
- What sort of things have you bargained for?
- What’s the best bargain you have got?
- What strategies did you use?
- Have you ever been ripped off?
- What is the bargaining etiquette in your country?
- What other negotiating do you do in your everyday life?
- What are some reasons people give for wanting a price reduction?
4 replies on “How to Haggle: Successful Bargaining Tips”
Is bargaining an acceptable practice in your country? Yes it is. We are mediterrenean people and we have bargaining in blood.
In what kinds of shops is it acceptable? Clothes street markets are common to haggle.
Do you like to bargain? I’m bored to bargain because I’m salesman and I’m every day dealing and bargaining with clients and I do it as well with my wife at home.
What sort of things have you bargained for? I’ve bargained for clothes, cell phones, bikes, computers, etc.
What’s the best bargain you have got? My best bargain was a saxophone I bought with a 50% discount.
What strategies did you use? I tried to appear that the saxophone didn’t liked me.
Have you ever been ripped off? Yes I have. In Vietnan I bought a ticket for a tour and I knew after that the price was four times cheaper than I paid for it.
What is the bargaining etiquette in your country? Not to show your interest in an item
What other negotiating do you do in your everyday life? I negociate with my wife in a lot of dayly actions
What are some reasons people give for wanting a price reduction? I think most of the people want to feel that they win a deal
Great work with your writing practice!
Do take note how you can write the following sentences with better strucuture.
Until your next entry.
I don’t like haggling at all. Afortunatelly, I’m living in a country where this practice is useless. The prices of the products are fixed and marked on a tag. You can check the price of the same product in different shops, with nobody behind you offering price reduction, before paying for it.
I lived this experience once when I was visiting Tunician: anything I wanted (except food and drink) had to be negociated. Moreover, I didn’t feel confidence only to see the exposed items because as soon as you get near a stall, the merchant was stuck on you and he started asking questions to know about myself and preparing the first offer in whatever I was looking at, even though I would not be interested in it (just curiosity about the items). No matter how long you were haggling, my feeling when the purchase was finished wad that I had been deceived. At the end of the day, I was completely exhausted to discuss with shoppers.
The last days of my vacations I discovered a store selling the same items as the flea market and I prefered to buy what I liked there instead of the stalls, though I had to pay a little more. For me, it deserves it: my time is also worth money and haggling is a waste of time.
Good going. Here are some words you can replace some of your phrases with:
Afortunatelly > Fortunately
visiting Tunician > visiting Tunisia
I didn’t feel confidence > I didn’t feel confident
For me, it deserves it: my time is also worth money and haggling is a waste of time. > For me, they (the prices) are reasonable. My time is also worth some money and haggling is a waste of time.
Keep up the good work.