Haggle your way to cut price deals

The prowess of the bargain hunter can be measured in small victories. In my case, this adds up to two chickens, a leather sofa and an occasional table.

Retailers are desperate to sell their wares and with the economic downturn, haggling is suddenly a weapon to be used in the battle to bag a bargain. Strolling into a shop or a market, looking a vendor in the eye and naming your price has never been more effective.

Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, but there's no harm in trying. In many cases the ticket price is simply what the retailer wants you to pay; your ticket price might differ somewhat.

Tips abound on how to knock down traders' prices and haggle your way to a bargain, and in my pocket is a bible of bartering from thrift king himself - Martin Lewis of moneysavingexpert.com

In fact, as I go about the businesses of bartering, it's like Martin himself is in my pocket shouting out empowering little wisdoms like "Offer cash", "Always haggle when it's quiet" and "Never lose your temper!"

I'm at Dawley market, early on a Friday morning. As per Martin's suggestion, I get there nice and early as traders are more likely to be amenable to bartering in the absence of a queue.

At butchers E&J Meats it's chickens that take my fancy. The sign says "Two for £6" but of course I don't want to pay that.

I 'um' and I 'ah' and then I reveal my hand: "How about a fiver the pair?"

Butcher James Beasley proffers a smile but he's having none of it. Not yet. I check my pockets and take out a fiver. Let the rabbit see the money - there's another tip.

Eventually James relents with the words "Go on then, two for a fiver" and the chickens are mine. It's little victory number one and as I leave I actually punch the air.

Later James says there is room to manoeuvre on price but in such small quantities the margins are very tight.

"We work on the basis that the more you buy, the cheaper it becomes. We get people all the time haggling. In Cardiff, for instance, it's anything for nothing."

On another stall I spot some sweets and resolve to be cheeky with a family pack of Peanut Crunch Bars.

The price tag is £1 for a pack of ten. "What's the best price you can give me on these?" I ask optimistically.

"That's it - a pound," replies stallholder Graham Smith.

"How about 70p?" I say, not giving up. But Graham is having none of it. He says that with the margins he's working on it's already like walking into Poundland.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Always be prepared to walk away if you can't get something for the price you want to pay, that's another of Martin's tips. I walk away empty handed in this case.

But it's not just market traders who are prepared to haggle. These days some high street retailers will hear you out.

From sweets to suites, at the sofa superstore ScS on Forge Retail Park in Telford I peruse the three-pieces with leather in mind, and it's not long before a sales assistant comes over to help.

How much can he give it me for? The original price is £1,397 and it's already discounted to £995.

I tell the sales assistant that I want to pay cash, then I use another tactic to knock down the price - finding something I don't particularly like, or want, about the sofa. In my case it's the footstool.

As the tips sheet says, show an interest then find a drawback. This creates room for price manoeuvring.

After a moment's thought he says: "The best we can do on this is £899." So, a hundred quid off in a matter of minutes. A victory not to be sniffed at. I sink into it like that bloke out of Spandau Ballet does in the ScS adverts.

There's also more chance of a discount on showroom stock, which this suite is.

Desperate to sell

"Nine times out of ten it's been paid for by the business and they want to get rid of it," he adds.

Next I up the ante and try to buy a car. With the car market down by a third on this time last year, many dealers are desperate to sell.

At the Churchbridge Citroen garage on Holyhead Road, Ketley, I express an interest in the new Berlingo. I ask for the best price for cash with no part exchange and the sales assistant goes away to speak to the sales manager.

Four hundred pounds off comes the answer, meaning that instead of the ticket price of £12,272 on this particular model I can have it for £11,872. To be honest, it's not enough to seal a deal. I am told they are working to tight margins and my haggling technique fails me. I walk away, as per my tip sheet.

But it is worth bartering with cars. Earlier the sales assistant at ScS tells me about a bargain he had while haggling, and again it was cash that sealed the deal.

"I had £5,000 off a car," he says. "It should have been £24,999 and I had it for £19,999 because I paid cash. If you offer cash on cars you can get a real bargain."

A few doors down at Carphone Warehouse I draw a blank on a pay-as-you-go mobile phone.

"The ticket price is the price," the sales assistant says, but he does add that there would be more chance of manoeuvre on price with contract phones and that a charger or accessories could be thrown in if it's a deal-breaker.

My last stop of the day is Sayce's Second Hand Corner in Oakengates. Here fridges, televisions and furniture are piled high and spill out on to the pavement.

This place has been a haggling arena for ages. Proprietor Debbie Sayce says: "We've done it for years. People come in and they say 'Will you take so-and-so?' Sometimes you can, sometimes you can't but we try to accommodate. We might be able to discount if people take things away themselves rather than have them delivered."

The thing to remember is that in the world of haggling you can't lose: the worst that can happen is that the vendor says no.

After just a few hours I have saved myself hundreds of pounds against what I would have paid had I just taken the ticket price for granted.

The pay-off for the haggler is not necessarily the size of the discount but a feeling of control and a sense that you are taking back a degree of power.

And this is guaranteed to put a little spring in your step, especially as you march off into the sunset with a chicken under each arm.