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The thrill of bargaining

Haggling down prices with shopkeepers is considered a vulgar practice by some people, yet thrilling for others

By Simon Ngan

Everyone loves a bargain. But to many people, bargaining is unthinkable, humiliating and something done only in less economically developed civilisations. It is considered to be bad manners to meet a request for payment with haggling. In fact, here in Hong Kong, anyone who responds with a low-ball offer gets the full pariah treatment. The problem is that bargaining is often associated with acting like the proverbial 'screaming fishmonger' and, hence, to be in bad taste.

Bargaining also benefits shopkeepers because it provides a natural method of getting rid of the slower moving merchandise. By giving customers a hefty discount on something that has been around for too long, the vendor may actually be doing himself and the customer a favour. The retail, travel and catering industries consist of perishable products that must be sold by a particular date, or else their value is lost forever. It is clearly better to receive some income for such products, rather than no income. Meanwhile, the customer will be grateful for the discount s/he gets, tells his/her friends what a good deal s/he got and how much fun it was, and the resultant word-of-mouth reputation will be wide and far. That is why suppliers' operating credo should be extended to accommodate customers who want to haggle

This is particularly so for tourists, many of whom still regard Hong Kong as a shopping paradise and a place where they can 'talk turkey' on how much they would like to pay for items that they fancy. For many, winning bragging rights to getting a deal is probably worth more than what they pay for an item. Taken in the context of what the authorities are trying to do to promote tourism in Hong Kong, this may be something that should be revitalised. After all, most visitors, whether travelling on tight budgets or on package tours, want to experience the countries that they visit. And there is no better way of enriching the experience of any visit by interacting with people, which often centres around the act of buying and selling.

There may be a need to draw up guidelines on how bargaining should be conducted, however. A pamphlet on bargaining etiquette, including dos and don’ts and where merchants welcome such practice could be published for distribution to visitors. For dealers, they would be encouraged to sign off on a code of best practice that would require them to understand that bargaining does not mean open season on customers, visitors or locals.

With the exhortations for Hong Kong to find ways of 'adding value' to what it is doing, bargaining may be something that fits the bill.

Simon Ngan is a senior manager at the Chamber. The views expressed here are his own and do not necessarily imply endorsement by the Chamber.