萨顶顶 英国:砍价绝招

    NEW YORK (CNN) -- There's never been a better time to be a bargain hunter. Here are some tips and strategies to help you get the best price.

    如何购物最省钱

    美国有线新闻网纽约报道——在当今这个时代，当一个砍价能手最合适不过了。下面我来给你介绍一些成为砍价高手的绝招。

    First, try your hand at haggling. The results might surprise you. A Consumer Reports survey released in November indicates that more than 90 percent of people who haggled over furniture, electronics and appliances, floor and demonstration models scored a lower price on at least one purchase during the past three years.

    And the weaker the economy, the stronger your bargaining power.

    "Retailers are doing whatever they can to bring consumers in," said Robert Spector, a retail historian and author of the forthcoming book "The Mom & Pop Store."

    首先，尝试杀价。结果或许会令你自己都感到惊讶。去年11月的一份调查显示，在过去三年中，九成的消费者因为在购买家具、电器、地板上砍价而省了一笔钱。

    而且，经济越是走下坡路，砍价就越顺利。

    对零售业历史颇有研究、也是新书“妈妈流行商店”作者的罗伯特·斯派克特说“零售商们想尽一切努力来招徕顾客。”

    Where will you get the most out of your haggling? Big-ticket items, says Tod Marks of Consumer Reports, a nonprofit consumer product rating company.

    "Any product with a large product margin is ripe for haggling," he said.

    That includes furniture, mattresses and jewelry. In fact, those items might be marked up to begin with, to offset discounts or haggling customers, Marks says. Expensive computers or TVs are another area where consumers may have some wiggle room.

    什么东西最容易砍呢？当然是高价商品，这是非营利消费品调查公司的陶德·马克思的观点。

    “大宗生产的商品往往最好砍价”他说，这包括家具、床垫和珠宝。事实上，这些商品很可能都被标上了过高的价格，用以应对折扣和砍价能手。高档电脑和电视是 另一片可以砍价的领域。

    And where you haggle makes a difference. Stores that sell based on volume may be more receptive to negotiation than niche retailers. The longer merchandise lies around, the better chances you have of getting a deal. The retailer doesn't want to take up that precious store space for products that aren't selling.

    Even if you don't think you'll get a deal, it can't hurt to take a chance. "We're not a culture accustomed to haggling on anything but cars and houses," Marks said. "But there's no place you can't haggle. The worst they can say is no."

    砍价效果最显著的是哪儿呢？当然是那些做大宗生意的店铺，他们比小本生意的小店更容易讨价还价。商品越多，砍价的机会就越大。那些大店铺可不愿意浪费店铺 空间卖一些过时的东西。

    即便你对自己的砍价能力不自信，尝试一下也不会有什么损失。“我们是那种只愿意在车子和房子上砍价的文化”马克思说“但事实上所有东西都可以砍。那些卖东 西的最多也就是说不卖。”

    And keep in mind that historically, haggling was the norm, Spector says.

    "In the 18th and early 19th century, people who had money would dress down when they went shopping so they could get a cheaper price," he said.

    In fact, the concept of fixed pricing didn't really take hold of the country until the first big New York department store opened in the 1850s.

    斯派克特说“记住，人类的砍价活动可谓源远流长。”

    “早在十八世纪和十九世纪初，有钱人出去买东西时，往往将自己打扮得破烂一点，这样可以花便宜的价钱买到东西。”事实上，“明码标价”在1850年纽约百 货大楼开业前根本不存在。

    To improve your chances of getting the price you want:

    " Keep the conversation polite. Don't go into a store demanding to negotiate. Ask the retailer to work with you.

    " Do your homework. Check the price at other stores. If you find something that's cheaper, print out the ad or find a flyer and bring it with you.

    " Inspect the product to see whether there are any flaws, like a missing button or a scratch. You could walk away with a deal if you can live with (or fix) some minor blemishes.

    为了提高你砍价的成功率，你需要：

    1尽力保持礼貌。砍价可不是去谈判，而是合作。

    2做足功课。货比三家。如果找到更便宜的卖家，别忘了单上广告和传单。

    3仔细察看商品是否有小瑕疵。比如一个丢失的按钮阿或者一道划纹。你可以买一堆这这种东西——如果你不介意这些小瑕疵的话（也可以修复他们）。

    " Talk to the person who has the power to bargain with you. If you don't think you're getting anywhere with a sales associate, ask for the store manager or a supervisor.

    " Offer to pay in cash as an incentive. If you use a credit card, the credit company will charge a transaction fee to the retailer that's between 2 and 8 percent. Paying in cash is more attractive to the merchant.

    " And, of course, be discreet. You don't want other customers listening in on the great deal you could get.

    4要和能决定价格的人砍价。别和店员们浪费时间，直接找他们的经理或者主管吧。

    5现金付款。如果你用信用卡，信用卡公司会收取百分之2~8的手续费。用现金对卖家来说更具吸引力。

    6还有，千万要低调。你可不想让别人知道你在这儿占了大便宜吧？

    Knowing when to shop for deals is just as important to getting a good price.

    If you're in the market for a refrigerator, stove range or dishwasher, you may want to wait until September or October, says Sharon Franke of the Good Housekeeping Research Institute, a lab that tests and evaluates products for Good Housekeeping magazine. Around that time, retailers are trying to move out the old models to make room for the new models.

    In January and February, you'll also find some good deals on linens and furniture, she says.

    买东西做到该出手时就出手和砍价同样重要。

    如果你要买冰箱、炉架或者洗碗机什么的，你或许会考虑九十月再出手。专门研究家居用品的好家居研究中心的莎朗·弗兰克这样认为。因为在那段时间，商家们都 急于出手旧款式而购进新款式。

    在一二月份，你会发现亚麻布还有家具出奇的便宜。

    Getting a good deal on groceries these days is getting more challenging. But it is possible. Save your shopping for Sunday evening, says Teri Gault of the Grocery Game, a consumer savings program. This way, you're maximizing the coupons in your circular. Also, the shelves may be restocked then, and there are fewer customers, so you'll get more attention.

    If you're a last-minute kind of traveler, the best time to buy an airline ticket is on Wednesday morning, according to Anne Banas of Smartertravel.com. Airlines release their distressed inventory for flights for the upcoming weekend by Wednesday. US Airways offers last-minute international fares on Friday morning, Banas says.

    在杂货店砍价就困难了不少。

    但这也不是不可能。省钱专家，来自杂货店运动的特里·高尔特认为：最佳的购物时间是周日晚上，这样，你可以将你手中的优惠券攒到极致。另外，周日晚上的货 架将会很快被下一周的新鲜货物填满，这是的顾客比较少，你可以得到老板更多的“照顾”。

    如果你经常掐着时间坐飞机，那么最好的买票时间是周三早上。航空公司们都回在周三预售下个周末没有卖掉的票。美国航空公司在周五早上提供“最后一分钟”机 票。

    If you just looking to book a regular flight and have some time to spare, the best day to look is Tuesday evening. Airlines often release sales Tuesday mornings, and other airlines will match discounts on competing routes by the end of the day, Banas says.

    As a rule of thumb, try to book at least 21 days in advance if you want to travel domestically. Try to book two to three months out to get the best price for international travel.

    如果你只是想订一张寻常的机票并且时间不紧张的话，那么最好在周二晚上买。航空公司一般都回在周二上午开始预售周末机票，其他航空公司则会在周二晚些时候 在相同路线推出具有竞争性价格的机票。

    按经验，国内旅行最好提前21天订票，国际旅行则最好提前两三个月订票。这样能省一大笔钱。

    If you're looking to get the best deal on a car, head to the dealership at the end of the month. A lot of dealerships have monthly sales quotas to meet. That may make salespeople hungrier to strike a deal.

    One of the best months to buy is September, says Phillip Reed of Edmunds.com. Car makers are trying to get rid of old models and bring in the new ones.

    And you'll want to head out on a Tuesday or Wednesday morning, Reed says.

    "It's so far from the weekend, and you'll get lots of personal attention," he says.

    如果你想买最便宜的汽车，那么就在月底去买吧！很多零售商都有月季销售任务要完成。月底的销售商比你更想让那台汽车从店铺里消失。

    而论月份，九月是最佳购买时机。汽车制造商在这时都试图脱手旧型号推出新型号。

    论日子，你最好在周二或者周三早上去买，因为那时候离周末还远，你会得到更多的“个人关注”。

    If you need some incentives to sweeten the deal, you'll see a lot of promotions throughout the summer, says Jesse Toprak of Edmunds.com. Because sales have been slow this year, manufacturers are ramping up incentives like cash back and low APR plans.

    When it comes to comparison shopping, we can let our fingers do the walking. Check out comparison shopping sites like www.shopzilla.com or www.pricegrabber.com. Plug in what you're looking for, and you'll get a list of prices and stores that sell that product.

    如果这些都不足以促使你砍价成功，那么充斥整个夏天的小广告可就帮了忙了。因为年度销售缓慢，商家们急于通过类似“返现金”之类的手段刺激消费者购物。

    如果要货比三家，这项工作大可交给我们的手指去做。有机个网站可以去看看，www.shopzilla.com 或者pricegrabber.com. 键入你想要的东西，你会找到一大堆销售同类商品的商家。

    If you plan on ordering something through the Internet, make sure to take advantage of the discounts and coupons coming to you. Go to http://shopping.yahoo.com and click on "coupons." You'll get a list of stores that are offering coupons, special sale prices or free shipping. Other site to grab some discounts and cash back: www.fatwallet.com, www.couponmountain.com and www.ebates.com.

    如果你决定网上购物，那么一定要利用好折扣和优惠券。shopping.yahoo.com上，点击coupons，你将得到一长串提供优惠券、特价商品 和免费送货的商家名字。

    另外一些提供折扣和返现的网站有www.fatwallet.com www.couponmountain.com www.ebates.com .

    And if finding sales online is your goal, check out www.shopittome.com. This Web site notifies you when a particular piece of clothing you've chosen (by brand and size) goes on sale at major retailers.

    If you want to make sure your purchase doesn't go on sale after you buy it, go to www.priceprotectr.com. If you buy an item, you can register to have the site track your purchase. If that item goes on sale during the retailers' price protection period, you'll get an e-mail with information on how to get your money back.