Is haggling destroying the economy?

The Post has an interesting read on haggling. As I've mentioned before, I love to haggle from time to time and see nothing wrong with it at all. In the comments section of the article I was floored to read the negative reactions against haggling. Some say it's a bad use of time, which I agree, it can be if you spend more than a minute or two on it. My haggling in Paris is fairly brief compared to say, my haggling in Tunis or Hanoi, where it can go on and on. If it's a substantial purchase, even 10% can make a difference. In the case of my bike, it was enough savings to add in a few biking accessories on the spot. Did anyone really lose there?

Another funny and incredibly silly comment was that it was taking money out of the pockets of the sales people. As a person who has made commission from sales for a few decades, the thought never once crossed my mind. Every deal that I've done eventually ends up with a purchasing director and guess what they do? They negotiate. The corporate world pays purchasing people very well to negotiate deals. They often receive substantial bonuses in addition to their salary that is based on the savings for the company. Would I rather sell at full list? Of course. But like anyone, I'd also rather have a deal in my pocket instead of the customer going to the next shop. How much is 7% or 9% commission on $0 because the client shopped elsewhere?

It's not clear why negotiating on a corporate level is acceptable and a standard part of the process yet if an individuals asks for something, it's killing the free market system. Isn't that what the free market is supposed to be about or has that idea gone away during the Republican trashing of the American economy? It's similar to the debate with health care/Big Pharma. It's normal for them to negotiate hard with vendors selling to them (as I know from experience) but to ask them to negotiate with a buyer (the government) is somehow out of bounds and offensive. Huh?

There are always going to be time wasters no matter what but is adding an extra thirty seconds or a minute or two to the process really so awful? So what if it's "only" $15 from a $150 sale. I didn't hear any of the commenters offering to hand over $15 even though it's supposedly nothing. Is it really so bad asking? Your money is your money so why would you want to give it away so easily? Our old bank charged us a fee for something that turned out to be their mistake. When they snatched our money for the penalty, it was normal and acceptable. When we complained and showed how it was their fault, the bank manager dismissed it as a "small fee so why bother?" Fine, give me the "small fee" out of your pocket then. I think that's the day we canceled our account and changed banks.

If you don't want to haggle, don't, but don't be mad with others who care about their hard earned money.