jwz - Confessions of a Car Salesman: "Yep. My brother, who is a car salesman, is really good at this. I don't think he pays the amount on the tag for anything. I just used to work at a Software Etc.

I don't have the full skill that he displays, but I have found two simple lines that work quite often. It is easiest at stores that has salespeople walking the floor. Just stand in around the area of the item you are interested in, looking slightly clueless. Wait for the approach, and the line, 'can I help you with anything today?' You just reply with, 'I'm interested in this [fill in the blank]. But can you do anything about the price?' You can also try, 'Will it be going on sale in the next month?' 'Month' is important, it shows you aren't in a hurry to buy, and also covers a wide enough time period to find if the item is going to be marked down. Even though most retail stores are no longer commission, they still track employee sales records. And even if there are no real rewards, they still set up little competitions between the sales staff. They won't want to lose the sale to someone else later on, and give you a discount, or the upcoming markdown. You can also use the second line as a backup if the first one fails. If there are no salespeople, you can try the lines at the checkout. Don't sit the item down on the counter, just show it to the clerk, and ask.
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