Hagglingcomes to high streets

The recession has led to a rise in the number of shopkeepers willing to let bargain hunters haggle over the price of goods, a study claimed today.

By The Newsroom

Published 3rd Jan 2010, 17:22 BST

Updated 3rd Jan 2010, 21:39 BST

Some two thirds of high street stores will give discounts to shoppers brave enough to bargain, according to the website moneysupermarket.com.

The study found 61 per cent of shop owners and managers report that the recession has made them more likely to offer “non sale” discounts to close a deal.

But British shoppers are relatively coy when it comes to the dark art of bargaining, the study found.

Almost a third (31 per cent) of retailers said customers rarely haggle and only 15 per cent report they have a strict “no discounts” policy.

A third of shoppers said they had never tried to negotiate a price down on something they were buying, with the majority of those quizzed saying embarrassment holds them back from trying to get a better deal.

Only 10 per cent said they haggle on a regular basis.