Watch CBS News

3 On Your Side: Secret To Department Store Deals

By Jim Donovan

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A lot of big box stores offer price matching. But 3 On Your Side consumer reporter Jim Donovan shows you how department stores are also willing to bargain, even on stuff that never goes on sale.

The merchandise is high end and the prices at upscale department stores can be high, too.

Most people would be happy if they could save something.

Well, we discovered, you can and more often than you might think.

We just asked if they would price match.

At Nordstrom, we got a $48 bottle of Clinique perfume for $37.

Macy's sold us a $56 place setting for just $33.

And we could have gotten a $59 pair of Bandolino pumps for $49, if they had been in stock.

"So when you see a price on a ticket, don't think that's the final price, because it's not," said Joe Marrapodi with Greentoe.

Marrapodi runs the shopping site Greentoe.  He says more and more, upscale stores are price-matching, even if they don't advertise it.

"I think personally almost every store in the country will negotiate at some point," said Marrapodi.

He says the trick is proving you can buy the exact item for less, somewhere else. Something you can often do in-store, with price a comparison app or even a simple Google search.

But you also have to be smart about how you haggle.

"You certainly want to be polite about it," said Marrapodi.

And if at first you don't succeed, ask for a manager.

It worked for us. In fact, we were successful in about 50 percent of our department store negotiations.

Now, haggling isn't for everyone.  But it is a strategy that could pay off.

So what are the official policies at these stores?  Nordstrom says it will meet competitor pricing on "similar" items.

Macy's tells us it will price match only "identical" items, excluding cosmetics, fragrances, and fine jewelry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.