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Haggling. Depending on the type of person you are, the very word is likely to send shivers of excitement or fear down your spine.

If, like me, you’re in the latter camp, it might be hurting you financially more than you realise.

Women are missing out

At Mozo we recently conducted a survey on haggling and the results are quite illuminating. Many Australians are missing out on thousands of dollars in savings by being too nervous to negotiate discounts, and it’s women that are losing out the most.

Men are almost twice as likely as women to negotiate over a pay rise, 25% more likely to negotiate over a home loan and 20% more likely to haggle over a new car or property.

Confident vs pushy conundrum

So why is it that many women shy away from haggling? Well, it seems a lot of it might boil down to that old stereotype of the ‘pushy’ female.

Men told us they like negotiating because they feel confident and in charge. Women, on the other hand, worry about appearing pushy or cheap.

When I brought the topic up with male and female friends on the weekend, it became clear that many of us girls were missing out on some serious savings by not haggling more often.

Successful haggling results in savings

The guys reeled off stories of negotiating $200 off a new suit and $100 off a designer watch, based on nothing more than a bit of confident haggling.  One guy even saved himself $2,000 a year in interest on his home loan by haggling his rate down.

I’m a fairly confident negotiator in my work life and career, but my version of getting a good deal when out shopping is to trudge around the mall looking for the item on sale. Pretty pathetic really!

Time to try bargaining

Well, this whole exercise has been a big awakening for me. I’ve decided to push my reservations aside and get in on the haggling action, starting with my Christmas shopping.  I’ll post back on how it all goes in a couple of weeks’ time.

In the meantime, why not take the Christmas haggle challenge yourself and see how much you can save?

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  • I will haggle, and not afraid to. You will never know if you don’t ask.

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  • It’s also a bit of a skill to bargain well, and some seem to have it a bit more.

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  • I like to haggle. When I had an extra air con put in I asked if there were any deals. Lo and behold for free he upgraded my other air con to a bigger size!

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  • Ahem, I am a woman and I happily haggle. Even down to throwing in an extra dim sim for lunch, I’ll haggle for the best offer/deal

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  • I’m really bad at this. Dad’s teach your daughters.

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  • Yeah I don’t feel good about haggling, not sure why

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  • I have a friend who is fantastic when it comes to haggling. I was so lucky she was with me on separate occasionswhen I chose some new furniture, a freezer, and a washing machine. She asked them if that was the best price they could do. It is often an advantage if you have been a customer there previously even if it is owned by franchises. I saved enough on my 3 seater sofa and recliner to pay for my new mattress. I originally wanted a 2 seater and one ordinary chair. They sold me the 3 seater for only $40.00 more than the price on the 2 seater. Considerring the fact that it is gneuine leather that alone was a bargain.

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  • When out shopping with hubby, I’m the one most likely to haggle, he doesn’t think we should. But if I see a price, I like to try and improve it somehow, with a price reduction or a free throw in. Something

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  • haggling is fun

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  • Really very good knowledge to know! Thanks for sharing this article!

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  • good tips,, women lag in this, should improve in this.

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  • these are really great tips!

    thank you for sharing!


    • haggle or walk away lol but also know when to haggle

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  • Nothing wrong with haggling, not sure they you say women don’t haggle – I do.

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  • I do shop around for the best deal.

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  • I don’t haggle well when it comes to my salary, but I’m pretty good with shopping – I think it feels less personal.

    Reply

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