The cost of living crisis is forcing Brits out of their comfort zones to haggle down on the price of everyday essentials.
New research from money-saving website TopCashback has revealed as many as six in 10 consumers admit to haggling in a bid to mitigate inflation, with most hagglers having a 39 per cent success rate, saving £155 per person on average.
The most popular items to haggle on are broadband (59 per cent), phone contracts (55 per cent) and insurance (50 per cent), reports Wales Online.
This is followed by other contracted utility services such as TV packages (37 per cent) and energy (26 per cent), which comes as no surprise as families across the country face record high household bills.
Haggling for money off energy suppliers has become much harder - which will be down to the rising energy costs.
Despite this, more than half (53 per cent) of those surveyed, said they attempted to get a better deal on their energy bills ahead of the price cap increase in April and one in 10 (12 per cent) were successful, saving £70 on average.
Although less common, Brits are also attempting to get a discount on items of clothing (21 per cent), food and drink (13 per cent) as well as health and beauty products (9 per cent). With inflation driving sharp price increases on these goods, the number of people haggling on everyday necessities has almost doubled compared to last year.
When it comes to where consumers are haggling for goods, more than half (51 per cent) prefer to try their negotiation skills with online retailers and marketplaces, with eBay being the most fruitful place for hagglers. Markets (39 per cent) and independent shops (32 per cent) are the other two most popular locations to haggle.
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The top ten tactics Britons use when haggling for goods and services are: |
|
|
1 |
Doing homework into what deals are on offer |
50% |
2 |
Using a comparison site to find the best price |
49% |
3 |
Threatening to use a competitor |
49% |
4 |
Working out the best time to haggle |
45% |
5 |
Threatening to leave |
41% |
6 |
Building up a rapport first |
32% |
7 |
Offering a lower price in the hope of meeting in the middle |
30% |
8 |
Haggling online by leaving things in the basket for a while |
26% |
9 |
Pretending to walk away if the negotiation isn’t going their way |
24% |
10 |
Mentioning issues they’ve previously experienced with the provider/product |
23% |
