UK consumers turn to haggling to get a deal
CONSUMERS are saving £32.1 billion a year by embracing savings tactics picked up during the recession – and plan to keep saving even when the economic situation improves.
Cash-strapped shoppers have taken to using discount codes, vouchers, sale shopping and bargain-hunting to cut costs more than ever before – with more than half of shoppers admitting that there are items which they rarely, if ever, pay full price for.
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Hide AdA report by discount travel site Hotwire.com found that consumers save on average £4.4 billion per year by waiting for an item to go on sale before purchasing it, while haggling – previously a technique which was alien to British shoppers – has saved £2.2bn a year.
And 90 per cent of people who use a money-saving method of shopping at least once a month said that they would not revert to their old shopping habits even if things become financially more stable for them.
Fulvia Montresor, senior director at Hotwire.com, said: “This research reveals that Brits are becoming less and less shy about implementing money-saving strategies across all aspects of their life, and are even beginning to question why anyone wouldn’t use a discount.”
The growth of group discount sites such as Groupon has prompted people to look for discounts particularly in travel products.