I love that one comment, their [sic] is no haggling in retail! That's like saying you cannot haggle over anything in our world today.
Actually, if you read the post in its entirety, it does say:
You haggle over the price of a car or a house... you can haggle at a yard sale... you can even haggle at an outdoor Middle Eastern produce market... and that's about it.
There is no haggling in retail.
If you don't like the price, either find it cheaper elsewhere or simply don't buy it.
So, yes, as I pointed out haggling does have its place.
The examples I've listed where haggling is acceptable are cases when the sale price is openly and expectedly up for negotiation.
Offers and counter-offers are common place in such transactions.
However, that practice is not prevalent in a retail establishment.
Attempting to do so is highly unorthodox and in many cases simply rude and unacceptable behavior.
So, answer these questions for me:
Would you haggle over the price of Corn Flakes at the grocery store?
Would you haggle over the price of medications at the pharmacy?
Would you haggle over the price of gasoline when you visit the pumps?
Would you haggle over the price of a CD at the music store?
Would you haggle over the price of a ticket at the movie theater?
Would you haggle over the price of a visit to your doctor?
Would you haggle over the price of a value meal at a fast food joint?
Would you haggle over the price of a pack of gum at a corner store?
Would you haggle over the price of the KWH price on your electric bill?
If you wouldn't for any or all of them, I would be interested in knowing why you wouldn't.
If you would for any or all of them, again I would like to know the reasoning behind your choice.
I'm curious to read your replies.
Regarding the other comment:
So all in all it's a benefit for us consumers. We get cheaper and a better quality of product all around.
Not necessarily.
We may get cheaper costing items... but that doesn't mean that the quality doesn't suffer in the process.
In order for a company to offer a cheaper product, they have to cut corners somewhere if they are to remain profitable.
More often than not, the corners that are cut reduce the overall quality of the items they produce.
Be it cheaper materials, reduced quality control, less expensive shipping methods or simply offshore production... these all reduce the overall quality in one respect or another.
Cut too many corners and eventually, much like a chair with one or more unequally sized and/or missing legs, something will collapse and fall.