By Stas Bekman.

Published: 16 July 2006

Ask and You Shall Receive

In North America and some other countries it's typically unusual to find someone bargaining on a price, unless it's a yard sale. In other countries, like Middle East and Asia, bargaining is a normal part of the buying-selling process. So while it probably won't quite work to bargain in the department store, you can certainly bargain with private dealers. There are always discounts available, as they would like you to come back for more.

Whenever you shop you can and should always ask for a discount. In the worst case you won't get one.

This technique is especially useful when a big purchase is planned. Like a car, house, some major appliance, etc. The best way to approach this situation is to do your homework and research the prices, so that you can ask for a very low price, while letting the dealer make its money too.

Using the car dealership as an example, ideally you want to figure out how much does the dealer pays to get the car. Take this price, add a little margin on it and now you have the price that you should offer. Go into the store with a check ready for that price. And tell the dealer: "I want this car, I'm ready to pay for it this much and here's the check for that amount". More often than not, you get a deal right there. After all, while the dealer doesn't make a huge profit, they still make money and with zero effort and time spent. And seeing money or a check makes a big difference.

Don't forget to put the difference into your saving account and/or invest.

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