ESL Podcast 849 - Bargaining With Store Owners

vase - a ceramic or glass object with an open top, used for holding and displaying cut flowers placed in water

For their wedding anniversary, Kenji gave his wife a beautiful vase of a dozen roses.

to talk (someone) down - to get someone to agree to accept a lower price for something he or she is selling

That's incredible! How did you talk the salesman down to just $13,000 for that car?

starting price - the initial selling price, especially when the buyer and seller expect to agree on a lower price; the first price stated by the seller

In this market, the starting price is usually about 20% higher than the final selling price.

negotiable - a price or terms/conditions that can be discussed and changed until they are acceptable to everyone involved

The salary we offered is not negotiable, but we might be able to improve the benefits package or give you more vacation time.

rock bottom price - the lowest possible price; the least amount of money someone is willing to sell something for

The store is closing next week, so it is selling all remaining items at rock bottom prices.

not one penny less - minimum; without being willing to lower the price any more

I'll sell it to you for $4.75, but not one penny less.

steal - a very good deal; something that is being sold at a very low price

Heather loves going to garage sales, because she usually finds some great steals.

to bargain - to negotiate; for a buyer and seller to discuss and change the price of something until they reach agreement

We were willing to bargain the price of almost everything at our garage sale, except the price of the really nice table.

to give (something) away - to give something to someone for free, without receiving any money or anything of value in return; to sell something at a price that is much lower than what it is worth

The company gives away the razors in the hopes that people will buy their expensive razor blades.

to budge - to change one's position; to move a little bit in some way

He is very stubborn and his says his opinions will never budge.

to haggle - to negotiate or bargain to try to get a lower price

It's okay to haggle, but don't start with such a low price that you offend the seller.

good things come to those who wait - a phrase used to advise someone to be patient and not expect immediate results

Don't be so impatient! It takes times for the tomato plants to grow, but good things come to those who wait.

to walk away - to end a discussion and refuse to continue negotiating or bargaining, usually because the other person is being unreasonable or cannot meet one's needs

They were having a heated argument and Tanya became so rude that Tomasz decided to just walk away.

cheap - wanting to have the lowest possible price and refusing to pay more, not respecting the value of the goods or services being sold

Yuki is so cheap that she refuses to buy fruit if it costs more than one dollar per pound.