Dr_Willie_OBGYN, post: 459940, member: 25832 wrote: Way back in the day (late 80's) I used to shop at Guitar Center in San Jose and I used to haggle and butt heads with some real douche bags at that store. Back then if you didn't do your price research, you got taken advantage of. It was like negotiating at a car dealership.
Today I rarely buy anything from a GC store. So I'm wondering if prices are pretty much set in stone or if it's common place to haggle with these people? Seems like ever since the Internet came of age and GC got bought out and went public, they straightened their act up and don't haggle like used car salesmen.

Here in Quebec, Canada, pricing are very hard to deal nowaday. It's seems to be a new tactic from the makers to set a selling price for their distributors and vendors.. All the stores sells items at the same price.
Even with cars, all they talk about is the MSRP and it makes me go crasy. All they do is save themself from having competition. Main Suggested Retail Price include the word suggested, when they say they can't change it, I go mad !! ;)

I think the Internet killed Guitar Center's haggling policy. The Internet is not like a print advertisement that you have to compete with in the 80's. You have to put your best price forward or get shut out.

BTW you can negotiate car price over the Internet too. I did with my last car that I bought. It was a breeze. Just make sure that you are specific about what you want.
Otherwise they will "accidentally" quote you a price for a different (cheaper) vehicle. Perhaps you are looking for an automatic transmission. If so the dealer will "accidentally" quote you a price for the same car in a manual transmission.

They will quote you a price that "includes all available incentives" (such as military, college grad, flex cash) which you don't qualify for!

They will give you a quote based on you financing the car rather than paying cash. Dealers make money when buyers finance, so the out-the-door price when financing will be lower.

Once you show up, that car that you wanted has been mysteriously sold! In realty they probably never had the car on their lot in the first place. They just wanted to try to sell you one of their other cars.

They will not mention options that are already bundled with the car or options that they insist on bundling.

They will over quote the estimated cost of registering the car with the DMV.

They will not include other dealer fees that are added on top of the selling price of the car itself. Some of those fees might include "advertising", a "dealer prep fee", "electronic filing fee" and a "document preparation fee" (or "doc fee").
You want an emailed itemized out-the-door price. Then show up in person.

Let’s not forget my favourite pet peeve about America. Price doesn’t include state tax!. Seriously, most people pay that tax. Here in the UK and other places I have lived, the price you see, is the price you pay. Surprise!!.