Read and understand the contract before you sign!!!!!!

[Buckman]

Whilst that is almost certainly true in practice , it doesn't preclude the principal of bargaining to try and renegotiate the terms, I suspect the general public have lost the skill of bargaining, or the knowledge that its actually still possible.

I hope you do not think I was being negative about your original post as it is well worth the read and I fully agree with it, but unfortunately we are all human!
We used to love shopping in the Indian sector of Durban as you could bargain and drive down the price, but in the UK it is very seldom that you can actually bargain.
At times we had excess food, old furniture or clothes that were going to be thrown out so if for example the lawn got mowed, they got the food, furniture or clothes. No hassle with advertising as word of mouth was best and fastest way to advertise.
Another way for bargaining was doing something for someone i.e. fix their television and they would fix your roof. Worked for us!

 

[ProfJohnL]

I hope you do not think I was being negative about your original post as it is well worth the read and I fully agree with it,...

Not at all,

It's all to often the case that common modern practices often short circuit old traditional methods. When shops were owned and run by a sole proprietor, customers could discuss the trade with the top guy who was able to see the value in a trade, but as shops have become combined into multiple outlet businesses, its very unlikely a customer could speak to the real owner, so the shop assistants would likely loose their jobs if they don't follow the company policies.

That doesn't mean you can't ask to barter - I have done on some occasions with success where the manager had the authority. Ultimately the seller can simply say no and stick to the ticket price., And there have been occasions where I have walked away when I believe the asking price is too high.