Many people have heard of the term professional shoppers. These are the people who go out and find you items that suit your personal taste, whether it is clothing or home decor. This tends to be an upscale industry. People who are too busy making millions will hire someone to shop for them.
I think that the trend of mass consumption of luxuries will reach this industry as well. But, because of the economy, it will take a different form. The New York Times has a story about how many stores that traditionally were set price situations are now telling their associates that it is okay to haggle the price with customers if it means making a sale that normally wouldn’t happen.
Shoppers are discovering an upside to the down economy. They are getting price breaks by reviving an age-old retail strategy: haggling. A bargaining culture once confined largely to car showrooms and jewelry stores is taking root in major stores like Best Buy, Circuit City and Home Depot, as well as mom-and-pop operations.
The problem is that many people still don’t feel comfortable haggling prices. So, when your neighbor Joe brags about how he got his TV for $500 less than you did, but you are still too hesitant to argue down a price, what options are available?
I think there is a market void where a person could charge 5% of the final price of the item and go out and haggle for the best price for big ticket items. As long as you could haggle down more than 5% of an item, which is not unlikely, the customer would still come out better than if they had just settled for the sticker price.
