Have you ever wondered what the total mark-up is on an item in a consumer electronics retail establishment? In some stores I can be a much as one-hundred percent or more. That means that a high definition big screened plasma TV that has a price tag on it of say two-thousand dollars, might have only cost them a thousand dollars, or even less sometimes. Many times the item on their show room floor costs them nothing at all until its sold, because their supplier will front them the merchandise and they then pay for it after it is sold.

Hard-core price bargaining is something that is not part of the American culture like it is in so many other cultures around the planet. In fact it can sometimes be seen as rude to bicker over the marked price of an item in a store in American society. A person who grows up in America will most likely not undergo the basic training in price negotiating in a retail establishment that a young person would undergo in many other countries.

This person will then grow up thinking it is unacceptable to aggressively negotiate down the marked price on a consumer item in a retail establishment or they might feel uncomfortable doing it. Managers and owners of home electronics retail establishments bargain over prices with their suppliers every time they buy from them, so they will not be at all offended if you choose to do a little bargaining when you are considering a purchase from them.

They have to make some profit on the item to cover the cost of handling it and other over head expenses such as employee wages and utility bills so there is a limit as to how low they can go on the price. It is important to remember that price bargaining is a form of psychological warfare and you must be highly strategic if you expect any measure of success.

Rule one is to go alone and isolate your subject alone, so you and he can discuss matters in private and your adversary won�t feel that he is being put on the spot by any unwanted spectators such as a friend of yours, or any coworkers of his. Tell him up front that you are not going to pay retail and that if he wants to make a sale the price must come down.

Let him know that you will consider a scratched display model even but it has to be a good deal. If he refuses to bargain ask to see the manager and make the same proposal to him and always be polite but firm. Try to focus on a specific item and price and start the bargaining if they are slow to budge. If it is say a two-thousand dollar TV set that you are looking at, bring him to it and point at the price and tell him that you will pay thirteen-hundred for it that day.

They will most likely refuse and then you can than ask for a counter offer. Don�t criticize the component unless there is a glaring fault in it such as a scratch that is plainly visible. Always be polite and speak in a conversational tone and try not to create an adversarial environment.

Let them know that you are tying to help them out by making a sale. You might consider taking free merchandise instead of a cash discount because they can then write it off as lost or stolen or broken and they will break even in that case. If they refuse to budge, then leave and go somewhere else. No matter what, don�t pay retail when purchasing a big ticket item.

This is a commonly accepted practice on car lots and you can do it in any store with higher priced consumer items. If you are uncomfortable doing this you might find a friends parent who is a known tightazz to do the deal for you. Stick to your guns and remember that both you and he sales person have to be flexible.

Dish Network is the all time leader in high definition TV programming with a full thirty one channels for their viewing family to choose from. You have to have a high definition TV set to receive high definition programming from Dish Network, so practice up on your bargaining skills and go out there and do what it takes to bring home the high definition TV set of your dreams and join the Dish Network family for the best in home entertainment.