Bargaining in Japan
Bargaining (haggling) with a seller to lower the displayed price of goods is typically not a custom in Japan.
If it says "1000 yen" then it means 1000 yen and usually wont be discounted.
You can however get "discounts" in the form of point cards. The most generous point cards are for electrical stores like Bic Camera and Sakuraya. Sometimes they give up to 20% worth of the purchase price back on to your card - great for when you are buying expensive stuff. Simply put, if you spend 10000 yen on something then you get to spend 2000 yen on whatever you want on your next purchase.
Anybody can make these cards even if you are a visitor to Japan. If you are buying electronic goods, bring along your passport too and you don't have to pay the consumption tax which is currently 5%. Point cards and passport = a *lot* of savings to be made which you can then spend on figures and stuff.
Just out of interest, how much is the consumption tax in your region? I remember it being something like 17% when I lived in the UK.
But there are places where you can haggle for lower prices and thats at a place called Ameyoko which I will talk about more in a later article.
Here you see a seller flogging bags of snacks for 1000 yen. While this particular seller doesn't drop the price, you can haggle for more snacks to be put in the bag and if you want to be really tight fisted then you can ask for even moar - maybe wave the 1000 yen note at him or something.
The only experience I've had bargaining for lower prices is when I visit Penang Malaysia. It does get tiring though - for example I call a taxi but need to ask how much before I get on - if I don't then many taxi drivers say at the destination "that will be two pints of blood or equivalent in cash."
They usually start off at a ridiculous price and you have to bargain how much the ride will cost. have not been for a while so don't know what its like now.
They usually start off at a ridiculous price and you have to bargain how much the ride will cost. have not been for a while so don't know what its like now.
Whats it like in your region? Is bargaining for lower prices part of the custom? I guess it also depends on what is being bargained for?