Most of us have a little experience with haggling, whether it’s buying a car or a house, or scoring some deals at a great garage sale. Did you know you can successfully haggle your way into savings at the mall and at retail stores?

I’ve read lots of articles about how haggling for retail goods really works, but I guess I’m a shrinking violet because I’ve never tried it. It seems like I’m not alone. Yesterday on BC’s Facebook page I asked readers if they had tried haggling at a retail store. 58% of the folks who responded said they hadn’t tried it. But you know what? Of those who had, ALL had been successful.

You’ll see a similar statistic in articles about haggling. The majority of shoppers who have the gumption to ask to ask for a better price, get one. My interest piqued, I pored over recent articles about haggling to find out how it’s done.

Here’s how haggle your way into retail savings.

Understand This Before You Shop:

First, understand that prices aren’t set in stone even though it may seem that way. It’s also important to realize that you’re not going to upset the salesperson or manager if you ask for a discount. As MainStreet.com contributor Matt Brownwell states in his Ultimate Guide to Haggling, “Retailers mark up a product considerably over its wholesale price, which means that even when you factor in the costs of operating a store, there’s still plenty of room for a retailer to discount an item and still turn a profit.” And that’s what salespeople and managers are there to do. They can generally still make a profit if they offer you that  extra discount. And if that’s what it takes to make a sale, that’s what they’re probably going to do, says Tory Johnson at ABCNews.go.com.

And what if the item you want is already on sale? Don’t think that there’s no way a store will go lower. Bob Frick of Kiplinger.com says that “Sales are signs that a price is no longer fixed.” That said, don’t expect stores to cut prices in half. Though you may get luckier, figure on saving an extra 10% to 20% off the price on the tag. Considering that shoppers spent an average of $811 on holiday purchases last year, according to Time magazine, 10% to 20%’s not chump change.

Haggling dos and don’ts:

• Consumer Reports suggests focusing your haggling efforts late in the month when salespeople are working hard to meet sales quotas. Another great time to try is when sales are slow. During the holidays, you’ll probably have the best success if you wait until late in the season when stores start to get antsy about holiday sales. Black Friday will be too busy and the store will probably feel its discounts are low enough already.
• Start your negotiations with sales floor team member or salesperson. If you don’t have any luck there, go higher up. Don’t go straight over the salesperson’s head at first, however. It’s insulting to the employee and can make it harder for you to get the deal. Keep in mind, too, that Employees at small stores may have more power to change prices than those at the big chains.
• Be respectful and avoid negativity when dealing with store personnel. You want to seem friendly and confident (but not pushy). Don’t draw attention to your haggling efforts, says Consumer Reports.
• Be low key and try not to attract attention to what you’re doing. The person you’re dealing with won’t want to offer the deal to everybody in the store.

What to say:

• Compliment the item and talk about how useful it would be to you. Tell the salesperson or manager what your budget is and see what happens. Above all, be polite.
• Ask when the item will go on sale. They may tell you, or discount the item by the future sale discount amount to get you to buy then.
• Ask questions directly, says Kiplinger, “Could you do better?” “Is there a coupon for this?” Credit Karma suggests asking the salesperson, “What would you do in my situation?”
• Offer to pay in cash. That’s appealing to stores because it’s a sure thing, and because they won’t have to pay fees for credit card transactions.

Try these techniques:

• If the box or package is missing (i.e. floor model), open, dented, missing instructions, or otherwise imperfect, ask for a discount on those grounds. The same goes for “scratch and dent” items. (Kiplinger.com)
• Even if a store doesn’t advertise that they price match, it doesn’t hurt to try. Don’t tell them that’s what you want, though. Credit Karma suggests asking for the discount first, and pull out your info if you need to. Show the salesperson or manager a price you found online or at another store.
• Try haggling for better deals on perishable food items like bakery items or meat that are close to their expiration date (Kiplinger.com)
• Discontinued or clearance items may be easy targets for successful haggling because the store wants to get rid of them. The same is true for end-of-season items. You can probably get an extra discount on Christmas stockings, for example, right after Christmas.
• Offer to buying in bulk. Tell salespeople you want to buy a case of something instead of one or two. The extra volume means stores can make up losses from the discount they give you (MainStreet.com)

And a final caveat: You might have a hard time if it’s one of those stores that tries to get you to sign up for a credit card (like Macy’s or Kohl’s, for example). Because salespeople gain from the number of sign ups they process, they may make it a prerequisite for any discount they’re willing to offer, says MainStreet.com.

Read More:

• Save Money: 11 Tips for Haggling Success at the Mall (@ abcNews.go.com)
• Master the Modern Art of Haggling (@Kiplinger.com)
• The Ultimate Guide to Haggling (@ MainStreet.com)
• The Nice Guy’s Guide to Haggling (@ CreditKarma.com)
• Yes, hagglers can get a much better deal (@ ConsumerReports.org)

So what do you think? Want to try haggling next time you go shopping? If you do, let me know how it turned out!

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