"You don't get what you don't ask for."
Many of us have heard the phrase, but most of us never think to ask for a price break while shopping.
According to a 2013 Consumer Reports study, only 48% of people even attempt to bargain for a better deal on the products and services they buy every day—even though a whopping 89% of those who said they did haggle were able to nab a discount at least once.
So why are we so hesitant to even ask? For starters, "many people think that negotiation is reserved for the big boardroom-type deals and don't realize how many day-to-day things, such as retail [items], groceries and medical bills, they could negotiate," says Eldonna Lewis Fernandez, a corporate trainer and author of "Think Like a Negotiator: 50 Ways to Create Win-Win Results by Understanding the Pitfalls to Avoid."
Additionally, the mere thought of haggling can feel intimidating to many people, notes Ed Brodow, a negotiation-skills trainer and author of "Negotiation Boot Camp: How to Resolve Conflict, Satisfy Customers, and Make Better Deals."
"People are either afraid to ask for a better deal or are convinced it can't happen," he says. "They become their own worst enemy if they don't try. You have to have the 'negotiation consciousness': [the willingness] to challenge everything, be assertive and say, 'This is too much,' or 'This is not reasonable,' or 'Can you help me out?' "
Of course, your chances of success will be helped if you know what surprising products or services are actually negotiable. So we rounded up five things you may not have realized you could haggle over, along with some insider tips that could help you move from too-scared-to-ask to negotiating-ninja status.
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