Great ‘salespeople, tell us the best time to hagg...

[MSE Jenny]

The best time to haggle is usually on the day a salesperson has to hit their target. Often it’s then volume, more than price, that counts. So if you’re a MoneySaver working in any form of sales, whether high street, mobile phones or holidays, please tell us the best time to haggle for your industry.

Are there any standard month end or year end dates? Hopefully this’ll up your volume and cut our costs.

Please tell us:

Where you work (put the type of service, if you don’t want to name the company)
Best time of the week/month/year to haggle
How much you’re allowed to discount
Any other top tips

Click reply to share your suggestions.

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[Epiphone]

Will be watching this thread with interest as we're going to look at a new car tonight.

[skibster]

Originally Posted by Epiphone

Will be watching this thread with interest as we're going to look at a new car tonight.

It's the first of the month, which in my experience is a bad time to buy a car. I've gotten a couple of really good deals by waiting until the end of the month. Early in the month, the salesperson won't want to let you haggle him down too much because he's trying to get as much of a commission on the sale as he can. By the end of the month, however, he is probably getting concerned about his overall sales totals, which can be considered for things like bonuses or having the most sales for the month (which may mean a bonus or valuable prize of some kind), etc. So at the end of the month he may be more willing to lose more of his commission on an individual sale because it pumps up his overall sales total. At least that's why I think I was able to get much better deals when I bought cars at the end of the month. The best car deal I ever got was bought on the last day of the month at closing time. I made an offer that was very low, but it's all I could afford and I figured I'd give it a shot before heading over to another dealer to buy the only new car in my price range (that I didn't really like). My timing was right and I got a real bargain.

[nikaso]

Similar to the car situation mentioned above, I bought a sports bike (VFR 800 for those interested) on the 28th December a few years ago, bikes don't sell well in Winter fullstop and with year end (for this Honda main dealer it was December) looming they were desperate for another sale to go on the board. Ended up getting a very good deal on the bike.

I would say if you can find out when a companies year end is it maybe even more effective than month end.

[knightsy]

Dixons store group (currys, dixons, pcworld) has weekly and period targets.

Always end on a Saturday night. If you go for there "easiplan method" they make 10% profit ontop and if you go for there coverplan/whatever happens/pc plan they make even more.

The thing is they offer discounts off your item if you haggle and want to take these things, but legally they arent allowed to do that (as I understand). So take the discounts, put it on these methods. A couple days later go back, change from easiplan to your credit card (with your interest free balance deals), and cancel the extened warranty. Because on your receipt they discount off your items they dont have a leg to stand on.

Couple that with the fact that Currys and Pcworld match their own websites and you can pickup a bargain!

(please delete this if wrong mods, but from friends working their I understand this to be true)

[mandi]

If your buying a car ,, ask for car mats, a full tank of petrol, and 6 months tax to be included in the price... Its never failed for me ..

( thats after ive negotiated on the asking price

[JMio]

Vodafone's targets are monthly, the last few days (Saturdays especially) at the end of the month is when the stores are normally given deals and sweeteners to hit their targets. Xmas time is the worst time to be mobile phone shopping, or any other electrical gadget, because the shops all know that the goods are going to sell anyway.

[gooner1980]

top tips for buying a new car or used.


There is no better time to purchase a used car than the end of the month, this is because all dealers have to hit acertain target every month and sometimes they will be prepared to give an amazing deal if you are prepared to order, pay and collect the car before the end of the month. and for all of you out there who have just asked yourself the question of "but i'll lose out on my tax won't i?", the dealer can tax the car into the following month on the last day of that month or compensate you for the lost months tax with the fuel equivelent.

Now the tip i will give you will save you hundreds if not thousands on a brand spanking new car, unlike a used car, don't wait until the end of the month to buy a new car but at the end of the quarter! New cars attract quarterly targets from the manufacturers and as such all sorts of bonuses as well. To give you an idea i work for the largest car retailer in the uk selling both new and used cars to you all, so the advice i give comes from experience on a day to day basis. Our periods end in june, end of september and end of december. In the last few weeks of each quarter we were doing stupid deals to be able to hit our targets, half of the time sellng these cars for less than we paid, but getting the registration bonus from the manufacturer to ensure we made a profit.

always look at the whatcar target price and as a bare minimum the dealer can beat this!!!!! however you can also get money knocked off if you have finance mainly because we earn commission from it, to give you an idea £10,000 borrowed at an APR of 11/12% will earn the dealer approximately £550.00 in commision (this does not apply to the low rates however which are subsidised by the manufacturer)

Also sites such as drive the deal etc will give you a price and if the dealer wants your business enough (and in these times he probably will) ask him to match the internet brokers too!!!!


And finally............ once the dealer looks hot and flustered and has started to get the violins out.... if he cannot discount any more ask him to throw in things such as the paintwork and fabric protection, to him it's £50 or so and he would charge approx £200 - £250 for it.


Hope this is of help and will keep updating and tips i can help to save you money on your new wheels

[atr3dot14]

I'm not sure if it is still the case but about 10 years ago the major housebuilders set targets for their regional offices in terms of number of houses sold. These were usually counted end of June and December. If you wanted to buy in the week before their cut-off date you could get huge discounts (maybe 10%) and there were even companies who just bought houses at these times of year at discounts and immediately re-sold them at full price!

[Cazza]

Originally Posted by atr3dot14

I'm not sure if it is still the case but about 10 years ago the major housebuilders set targets for their regional offices in terms of number of houses sold. These were usually counted end of June and December. If you wanted to buy in the week before their cut-off date you could get huge discounts (maybe 10%) and there were even companies who just bought houses at these times of year at discounts and immediately re-sold them at full price!

It still is end of June / end of December for many, but the discounts will be based on whether you're in a position to exchange or complete by the end of the accounting period (depending on the build stage of the plot). Reserving the plot makes very little difference. 3-5 weeks beforehand is roughly the time you'll get the discounts.

[chelleapps]

I will be watching this thread with interest over the next few weeks, we're changing our car and have had a pretty rough experience so far.

On 28th June we visited a many dealers and eventually found the perfect car. We were expecting the lowest p/ex value for our current car, per Glass's guide, being £1400. They offered us £800! Given the lower p/ex value than we anticipated we were £600 short and there was no way we could raise the difference. As the dealer wouldn't budge, we ended up walking away. The reasoning he gave behind the low offer is because of the current road tax situation - our car is a 2.2 Vectra so he'd have trouble selling it on. Yet we were wanting a 1.8 Zafira - which costs the same as the Vectra in road tax?!

If all the best deals happen at the end of the month I dread to think what they would have offered if we'd visited him on the 1st! I'd be very interested to hear any comments from anyone in the used car industry.:confused:

[mrflib]

I've bought a number of cars - new and second hand - and thankfully I've never been able to get a lower price or heard of a lower price once I've parted with my cash. In my opinion, the key point is preparation - a couple of steps I follow are below, with a couple of tips I know have worked well for me in the past.

• Know what you want. Don't leave it at knowing just what car you want - know what specification and optional extras you want/need and you can use this to your advantage. You don't want to be surprised when you're in front of the sales person. It makes it easier to be assertive and can give you a bargaining chip.

• Research the car you're buying inside out. Know everything there is to know about your car - read reviews, comments and common complaints. Remember, dealers have to learn about a whole suite of cars - not just the one you're interested in. If you know more about the car you want than the dealer, it gives you a position of leverage.

The number of times I've caught dealers fudging the facts to help a sale is staggering. One even resorted to out-right lying. If you catch a salesperson in the act and point it out then I've noticed them seem to feel like they're losing the deal and tend to act accordingly to get things back on track. This can mean a better price/thrown in extras.

• Timing is everything. As mentioned in previous posts, car sales is traditionally commission based. Get your quotes in towards the end of the month/quarter (explained below), and make the purchase in the last couple of days. You'll be staggered how effective walking away from a dealer at this time will be - the majority are desperate for the sale.

• Price research. Start with the obvious online retailers - Car Giant, Drive the Deal etc. - to get a feel for the prices they offer. Then look on the manufacturer's website for a price list. Many car types have dedicated communities that can really help you out with pricing. MX-5 (my current car) has a number of sites, everyone is there to help each other out with things such a purchasing. If someone got a good deal somewhere, you can be sure the information will be posted.

With this information in hand, I go to dealers directly by phone. I've always begun with "What's the best price you can offer me on a (for example) Mazda MX-5 2.0 Option Pack?". Take the persons name and note down the price. Need be quote any deals you know that dealer has done in the past, and ask if they can at least match it. You're not trying to get a discount off of the asking price, almost anyone could do that, you're trying to get a discount off of the discounted price.

Once you have a number of prices, pick some of the highest, quote to them the lowest minus 5% and ask them to match it - after all, you really want to buy the car from *their* dealership - not somewhere else! You'll get a number of rejections, but hopefully you'll end up with a few dealers playing ball.

It's all about playing the dealer's off of each other - but you don't want to go too far so they tell you to sod off. When you feel you're getting to that point, back off and thank them. That's your best phone price.

At this point I take my top two dealers in terms of price and thank them for their time. I tell the more expensive that unfortunately I've found a better deal and won't be following up my enquiry. This is their last chance to beat it - and if they do - repeat the process with the other dealer.

Key point - never limit yourself to local dealers - phone all over the country. It was cheaper for me to fly from London to Blackpool and drive a new car back than it was to get one from Essex (where I live). Southport has an excellent Mazda dealer by the way!

• Final price negotiation is done face to face. You've done a lot of price negotiation already, so the dealer will be less inclined to shave more off - but it can be done! Starting with extras:

"So I assume it comes with the floor mats, road tax and a full tank of petrol?"

It's very uncomfortable for the salesperson to say no to this - especially at month/quarter end. They have done in the past mind, stating that the price is so good that they just couldn't.

"I'm spending £15,000 on a car and you won't throw in a tank of petrol and some tax?"

Dealer still being stubborn? Remember those optional extras you decided you wanted at the start of the process? Now's the time to bring them up.

"If I take the leather seats/extended warranty, will you throw in the mats, tax and fuel?"

Sounds reasonable - as if you were giving up something to get something back - obviously you know you're not as you were going to get those optional extras anyway, but the dealer didn't know that.

Once you've got all the extras you want, the dealer will want to talk about finance deals. This may or may not be something you need - obviously it may be cheaper to take a loan out somewhere else, and pay the dealership in cash.

If you have the cash, I always play along as if I were going to get the finance, get a final price, and then right at the end take that price and state I'm going to pay in cash instead. Finance funded purchases often have a lower capital price for the car as the salesperson makes money from flogging you the loan. I've never been told that a price is only relevant if I take the finance - that's something that always surprises me.

Remember, if you're not happy you can always walk away or make the motions as if you're about to walk away.

Just a quick note - something that can save you THOUSANDS at the correct time of year (month/quarter end) is purchasing a pre-sold car. To meet targets, dealerships often buy their own cars to make their figures look good. It's always worth asking if they have any of these floating about as they are sooooo much cheaper than buying normally. Why so cheap? Well, technically the car is second hand - but it will have 0 miles on the clock and come with all normal warranties. With research and negotiating on a pre-sold car I purchased a £18,500 Mazda for £14,500 - oh, and with the extras!

Something completely different - more for mainstream retail purchases. Let's use the example of buying a new Playstation 3. You're going to find it tough to get a discount buying just one, but if you know your mates are looking for one too, go alone and try the following:

"How much for one?"

ok...


"How much for two?"

...

"How much for three?"

Take a calculator and be dividing the price right in front of their nose - you expect a discount! Salespeople feel obligated to lower the price every time you add a new unit on this way - to a limit, of course. Works wonders.

[Djeon]

Hi there,

1st time I've posted although been a "lurker" for a while.
I'm the Business Centre Manager at a major car dealership (dealing with B2B sales)
Certainly in our dealership it would be towards the end of the quarter (if targets have not been met) - We (and I think most main dealers) get kickbacks on volume of units sold/registered - Do remember though that for the sale to count the car must be registered by the end of the quarter not just sold. So if its a brand new car make sure you know the lead time of the vehicle before you decide when to go haggle, if its a short supply car you will stand much less chanbce of really moving the price anyway.

[anitalg]

I work for an independant mobile phone shop. Targets are monthly, so the end of the month it can go either way - if you havnt hit target you can get a great deal, but if the shop has hit target its no different to the rest of the month! Usually this only applies to contract phones, the margin on pay as you go phones is minial so usually you cant get much of a discount on those. Best advice I can give you is be really really friendly and nice and a little bit cheeky - I always give a better deal to people I get on with and have a chat with.
If you cant get rental discount on your contract - go for cashback, or free accessories. Do check first what comes with the phone tho - Ive known multi national chains make a big thing out of giving you a memory card when it comes in the box as standard!

[Love-a-bargain]

[QUOTE=atr3dot14;12163855]I'm not sure if it is still the case but about 10 years ago the major housebuilders set targets for their regional offices in terms of number of houses sold. These were usually counted end of June and December.]

I can confirm this! We bought a new house (completing before end of December, which I assume was their year-end) and we made an offer, it was acceped and we ended up getting £40,000 off! Ker-chinnnngggg! Thankyouverymuchdocallagain hahah

[muzzarooney]

Any suggestions on new kitchens? :confused:

[blossom76]

I'm moving into a flat and require washing machine, cooker and fridgefreezer, how should I go about getting these as cheap as possible?

[Terry D]

Whenever I have bought a new car I always get the latest Car Price guide from the newsagent. Dealers use their "secret" Glasses Guide but the numbers are pretty much the same. I take the guide with me and make sure the salesperson sees it - they always comment something like "I see you've done your research then". I bought my wife a new (2nd hand) car in May. I used "Parkers Car Guide". If you know the reg. and the mileage of the car you are interested in, you can send a text to Parkers with this info. and comes back within seconds giving you confirmation of the car's details and the different prices, dealer, part ex etc. I showed the salesman this on my phone so he new what price I was looking for. Without any haggling he offered me a full tank of petrol (worth about £60 at the moment) 12 months warranty, 12 months MOT, and Paint/Leather protection which meant he got his price and I got a good deal - a win/win situation.

The text costs £3 from memory but well worth it when you are spending thousands.

[chrisscouse]

Does anyone know how to get cheaper Sky and when is the bes time to get it?

[mjhuxley]

A few years ago my brother was looking to buy a new Volvo estate, In looking around he also looked at a Mazda 6 something or other. He decided to go with the Volvo but then got a call from the Mazda salesman asking him to call in as he could offer him a good deal.
It was at the end of their period and they were due to take delivery of a double transporter load of new cars the next day. If he could reach the sales target before then, the company would get a £20,000+ discount on the trailer load, He got a brand new £15,000 Mazda for £6000.
He soon found that he didn't like it & traded it in for the Volvo but got more that he paid as a trade-in. - timing is everything