[Basic] Disadvantage of the Week: Miserliness

[jason taylor]

Originally Posted by edk926

I'm a miser. I don't haggle though. Haggling isn't common in the modern world now, at least in the US. My miserliness manifests in an inability to buy stuff that's full price. If it's not on a good sale, I'm not buying it.

To bad, that is an entertaining sounding custom. It doesn't really work when buying from shopping centers though.

[Black Leviathan]

Originally Posted by RogerBW

coupons.

I don't know how I forgot about coupons but you're totally right! Having coupons tucked in your wallet for stuff you might need in the future would be the hallmark sign of the Miserliness Disadvantage. The more modern version of that might be Loyalty Cards or Airline Miles Cards. In the future it might be having a fat sleeve of credit sticks so that you always use the credit line that gives you the best discount for a purchase or having an advisor computer that tracks down specials and deals at places you've shopped and constantly bothers you to let you know that there's a promotion for something you don't necessarily need, but you can't shut off the notification because someday it will be a bargain on something you do want to buy..

[RogerBW]

Originally Posted by jason taylor

To bad, that is an entertaining sounding custom. It doesn't really work when buying from shopping centers though.

It doesn't work when the person on the sharp end of the sale doesn't have a direct interest in getting the best price. If you told the clerks "every dollar they pay above the lowest acceptable price is a dollar you get to take home"…

[ericthered]

There are a few contexts in which haggling is used in the United States at least. Its part and parcel of yard sales, and most car purchases are tolerant of haggling as well. Its a doubled edged-sword, because if the industry expects haggling, they start higher than they actually expect to sell, and that's frustrating.

[SionEwig]

Originally Posted by ericthered

There are a few contexts in which haggling is used in the United States at least. Its part and parcel of yard sales, and most car purchases are tolerant of haggling as well. Its a doubled edged-sword, because if the industry expects haggling, they start higher than they actually expect to sell, and that's frustrating.

In addition to the use at yard sales, include true estate sales, flea markets, such things as hobbyist shows (gun, coin, historical memorabilia, etc.), and arts and crafts shows/fairs. I've seen haggling at all of the above.

[edk926]

Originally Posted by ericthered

There are a few contexts in which haggling is used in the United States at least. Its part and parcel of yard sales, and most car purchases are tolerant of haggling as well. Its a doubled edged-sword, because if the industry expects haggling, they start higher than they actually expect to sell, and that's frustrating.

Yeah, haggling happens for cars. Misers will also squeeze every last mile out of their cars before purchasing another one. Other products too. They aren't trading in for a new cell phone until the day the old one kicks the bucket.

[Dalillama]

Originally Posted by RogerBW

It doesn't work when the person on the sharp end of the sale doesn't have a direct interest in getting the best price. If you told the clerks "every dollar they pay above the lowest acceptable price is a dollar you get to take home"…

...you wind up with the salesclerks competing to tell the most grandiose lies about the product and get a lot of very cranky customers calling in to complain.

[dcarson]

Any place with commission sales types has haggling. A friend of mine worked in a electronics store and they got not just commissions but extra money from manufactures so they were willing to make deals on stuff where they were getting sell most units get a reward but less so stuff where they got a cut of the sale amount.

[jason taylor]

Originally Posted by RogerBW

It doesn't work when the person on the sharp end of the sale doesn't have a direct interest in getting the best price. If you told the clerks "every dollar they pay above the lowest acceptable price is a dollar you get to take home"…

By definition there is a disincentive in management to do so if they make more profit cranking through numbers of sales than individual sales. And unless part of "above lowest acceptable price" goes to the company they are not going to make that arrangement anyway.

[gmillerd]

There are a lot of modern day quirks people have that play into this disadvantage.

• Such as "i never shop without a coupon", "i will wait for it to go on sale", "wait for black friday", "i'll wait until the next version comes out so i can get it cheaper", or "i'll buy it used".
• The the laborious amount of researching for some products people do, the same product on amazon, big box store, costco, and so forth.
• You could imagine that a drive for points on a credit card and or buyers club would come to mind.

Such idiosyncrasies can be seen as haggling of sorts.