Why Americans Are Giving Up on Haggling Over Prices

Sticker prices are increasingly where the conversation ends, not begins, according to a new piece at Quartz on America's fading appetite for haggling. Citing research from Indiana University's Kelley School of Business, published in Negotiation and Conflict Management Research, the magazine reports that in five studies, 95% of US adults passed on the chance to negotiate—even on traditional bargaining buys like cars. Lead researcher David Hunsaker found people don't budge unless the potential discount feels big in percentage terms: on average, they wanted savings of roughly 21% to 36% before it felt worth the effort.

It's important for consumers to know this because retailers almost certainly do. As Hunsaker says in a release, "businesses can raise prices by 5% to 11%, and more than half of consumers will pay it"—no questions asked. What's driving the "no-haggle" mindset? More fixed prices (especially online); sales staff with no authority to offer a deal; a dip in overall confidence that makes people wary of pushing back, especially against the power of large corporations; life lived through screens instead of face-to-face conversations; and a culture that values speed over drawn-out back-and-forth, Quartz reports.

"Negotiations often require extensive preparation as well as lengthy back-and-forth interactions before a deal is done, and Americans no longer have the patience to go through all that," says Boston University expert negotiator Moshe Cohen. It could also be a sign of pessimism. "Negotiations require optimism, or the belief that more favorable deals are possible," says Cohen. "When people feel hopeless or fear negative outcomes, they are less likely to try to negotiate for better opportunities." For anyone who does want to negotiate, Quartz offers practical tips, from practicing on low-stakes purchases to doing serious homework first.