How to haggle on the High Street: Most wouldn't dare ask for a discount at Boots, M&S or Tesco, but TOBY WALNE sweet-talked his way to 50% savings

By TOBY WALNE, CHIEF MONEY REPORTER Haggling leaves most of us feeling awkward. Driving a hard bargain or squabbling over a couple of pounds feels contrary to the tradition of British reserve. So it’s little wonder that few of us even dream of trying to negotiate a discount at the supermarket or on the High Street. But what if a cheeky request could slash prices? We sent our reporter Toby Walne to Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire, to see if it is possible to haggle money off at popular chains such as Boots, Tesco, Marks & Spencer and Waterstones. First, he spoke to experts to learn about the art of negotiation.  When he deployed these tricks in store, he was surprised to find he could save up to 40 per cent – and he uncovered little-known policies that shops have on giving out discounts.  Here are his tips and the hidden price slashing tricks that will save you money. Tesco: Toby was able to negotiate a 40% discount on a dented tin of Tesco Finest Greek olive oil At 10am on a Monday, this superstore on the edge of Bishop’s Stortford is already heaving with customers.  I spy a couple of £7 Tesco Finest Greek extra virgin olive oil tins that have a small dent in them, and ask sales assistant Mandy if I can get a discount on the price. She says she must check with the manager. A couple of minutes later, Mandy is back with a yellow reduced sticker machine in hand – ‘Was £7.00. NOW £4.20’ it reads. ‘How about that? Better than a poke in the eye,’ Mandy says. When I push her for a discount on other products, she says she cannot budge but guides me to a corner section of the fruit and vegetables aisle.  She adds: ‘Lumps, bumps and bruises. There is absolutely nothing wrong with any of this stuff – it is just looking a bit unloved.’ Five apples, one with a bruise, reduced from £2.13 to £1.06, and five oranges, one with a soft spot, are down from £1.50 to £1.02. Mandy and I agree many of those ‘best before dates’ are nanny state nonsense.  But if you spot an item marked with a sell-by date of that day or the next, you’ve got a good chance of negotiating a discount if one hasn’t already been applied. In that case, find a shop worker and point it out. Mandy takes me to a pile of six dozen trays of 1kg strawberries down from £4 to £2.72 – with the best before sticker showing that day’s date. Savings tip: Negotiating over imperfect items can result in an immediate 40 per cent discount. Unloved fruit and best before dates bring savings up to 50 per cent. The downstairs food hall is bustling at midday but upstairs the clothes section is ghostly quiet – just me and a suspicious store worker who watches me study garments in search of marks. Shop assistant Eva says: ‘We can give a 10 per cent discount on items with a mark – perhaps someone has left a smudge that can easily be cleaned off.’ But I fail to find any blemishes. Jenny Keefe, of Money Saving Expert, says: ‘Look for the tiniest of dents or scratches – or marks on clothing. It makes them more difficult to sell.’ M&S: Toby got £5 off clothes after donating a few old Marks & Spencer garments into the store's charity bin After politely asking if there is any other way to get a better price, Eva’s manager Martin steps in and points to a charity bin.  He says that if I have old M&S clothes, I could bring them in and get a £5 discount voucher to spend on something new. This is a great idea. I plan to root round at the back of my wardrobe for old M&S items I no longer wear. And if I can find M&S items at the charity shop for less than £5, I might snap these up to exchange for the discount. Savings tip: Ask about discount schemes – there may be ways to knock money off the price that you haven’t thought of. As I wander through the aisles of a large Boots store, assistant Karys catches me by the deodorants section, admiring scents such as ‘black vanilla’, ‘marshmallow smoke’ and ‘cherry spritz’. It is a friendly icebreaker to start bartering. I ask Karys if there’s any room for a deal on one of the deodorants. She says: ‘You can get a third off Lynx deodorant and we will match your purchase by donating the same deodorant for a charity food bank where it is given to those that need it. But we do not negotiate.’ Instead, Karys guides me to a sorry looking shelf of discontinued half-price items. Yardley talcum powder, which I thought had stopped being sold in the 1970s, has been slashed from £12 to £6, while a £100 electronic blood pressure monitor is now £50. I point to an ‘over 60s reward shopping day’ poster by the entrance with up to 20 per cent discounts. I ask tongue-in-cheek if I could apply, and the response from the young assistant makes me realise the joke is on me as she says she doesn’t see why not (I’m not 60 yet). I need to sign up for a Boots Advantage loyalty card. This requires me to provide only basic personal details and I can’t see there’s anything to stop me exaggerating how old I am. No chance that I am doing that, but bringing an elderly relative happy to use their Boots card can save you cash. Savings tips: Small talk can pay off – in this case it earns me a trip to the half-price bargain aisle of unloved items I hadn’t previously spotted. If you have someone in your household who is eligible for a discount, it may be worth asking them to do the shopping. At the clothing store, I notice that some prices are higher in shop than online. I discover a linen jacket costing £84.99 in the shop selling at a 55 per cent discount for £38 online and present my findings to the department manager Kasea. H&M: Staff at the clothing store tipped Toby off about an upcoming flash sale offering 20% off selected items ‘Sorry. We stopped price matching a year ago – but you are still more than welcome to order online and pick it up later,’ she says. She says it might be possible to knock 15 per cent off a garment if it is marked – though eagle-eyed cameras stop unscrupulous shoppers soiling clothes. The Polish-born manager admits that rude customers get short shrift but a polite and friendly manner goes a long way. We chat about how her 11-year-old son hopes to become an architect.  Softening, Kasea says: ‘We are holding a flash sale tomorrow – 20 per cent off selected items. Come back then. Let’s see what we can do.’ Antiques dealer and expert haggler Gordon Kennedy says: ‘Being polite and friendly costs nothing – and if they like you it will help get you a good deal. Being rude and pushy will get you nowhere.’ Savings tip: Treating staff with courtesy and good manners can pay off. The bookshop lures customers in with bargain-priced bestsellers at the front of the shop – you get to ‘buy one get one half price’ with popular authors such as Richard Osman (The Impossible Fortune, £9.99) and Dan Brown (The Secret Of Secrets, £9.99). But logging on to the Waterstones website, I see that it is offering 25 per cent off forthcoming bestsellers with a ‘Summer26’ code – such as Osman’s We Chase Shadows – not offered in the shop. The quick online search pays off. Store assistant Ben says: ‘We can match book prices that are on the Waterstones website – so if you find it cheaper simply show me and I will be happy to charge you the lower price.’ Ben admits that I might get 15 per cent knocked off the price of a book with a folded page or slight mark but adds that company policy means he cannot budge on the £12.99 for a pristine copy of Beowulf by Seamus Heaney I hold in my hand. Waterstones: Staff at the bookshop were happy to match an online promotion offering a 25% discount Beside me stands a small blond child wearing round glasses who looks remarkably like the Milky Bar Kid.  I ask Ben: ‘What about if he started counting out his pocket money in pound coins on to the counter and only had £10? Would you take that? It might start a lifetime of love for poetry?’  Ben cannot help but smile at the suggestion – and I think that he probably would. Savings tip: It’s always worth checking a store’s website to see if they’re selling the item you want for cheaper online as it may price match in store. The upmarket store is the toughest nut to crack, I quickly realise. Haggling by the checkout is a mug’s game, believes Waitrose shelf stacker Dan, who explains that the money saving tricks of the trade are in the aisles. The London School of Economics graduate believes I am wasting my time trying to chisel a reduction but should hover around the fruit and vegetable aisles. Right now I can pick up a £1.90 mixed stir fry for £1.46 and £1.80 rocket salad for £1.42. Dan says: ‘I start putting ‘too good to waste’ stickers on food expiring the next day around 4pm for about 20 per cent off.  Around 6pm a second sticker goes on – and you can pay half price for same-day expiry.’  What about damaged packages and dented tins? Supervisor Vina offers a wry smile. She says: ‘We have had issues with this in the past and no longer offer a discount. It used to be around 10 per cent.’ Savings tip: Find out from staff when discounts are typically applied – it could save you up to 50 per cent. In the ProCook chain store I ask manager David about getting money off.  He says he can’t offer a discount but if I spend more than £100 on saucepans they might be able to throw in a £9 spatula. If I push the boat out and spend more than £200 I could get a financial discount. He adds: ‘For certain customers, such as blue card holders who are carers or work in the NHS, there is a 10 per cent discount at the tills. It is up to the manager if they decide to extend it to others.’ Savings tips: If you can’t get a discount, you may still be able to get freebies. It may be worth asking about discounts for groups of people, for example NHS workers, students or over-65s. Putting a smile on someone’s face is a great way to start – and that requires being polite and friendly, says expert haggler Gordon Kennedy. A cheesy charm offensive is not necessary but good manners really help. What will not work is someone being forceful or rude – perhaps telling you the price they are willing to pay and thrusting money at you, he says. Always treat everyone exactly the same. That means not talking down to a shop assistant but treating them as an equal. Pick your moment. Try to shop at a quiet time when staff are not rushed and can indulge in small talk.  Put yourself in their shoes – they have to make a living but are also there to help. It may be necessary to gently ask if it might be possible to speak to the boss for a discount. Pick your words carefully. Antiques dealer Kennedy, who is also a Money Mail Race To £10,000 contestant, suggests: ‘Rather than demanding a discount, try phrases such as “is there anything else you might be able to do?”, “is there any wiggle room?” or “I love it – but it’s a bit above my budget”.’ When haggling you might disarm with, ‘I don’t want to insult you with an insulting offer’ – and leave the ball in their court to respond, Kennedy adds. Price reductions are possible – even for High Street shops. Comparison website Money Supermarket says the average discount negotiated is 13.5 per cent.  But you need to be flexible – the more you spend, the more likely the discount. Ask about extra freebies as another option. Do your homework. Check out the competition in other shops and the internet before haggling, says Reena Sewraz, retail editor at consumer group Which?  That way you can ask if your retailer is willing to price match the same item you have found cheaper elsewhere. ‘Many retailers participate in price matching to undercut a competitor’s rate,’ she adds. Have you had success when haggling? 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