Originally Posted by: Andrew SaI disagree Mark, after having worked in a guitar store in London, one of the biggest tips I learned is that EVERYONE in the store wants to buy...its just a matter of when.

I find the best method is to offer an ultimatum tho.."I want that guitar, I want a case, and I want a cable...I have ?$ can we make a plan?"

I guess what I meant was that the salesperson only knows that you're probably interested in buying a guitar, but he doesn't know you have your heart set on any one in particular.

As Andrew says, it's good sometimes to ask for them to throw gear in rather than (or as well as) asking for a discount. This is because the price they pay for the gear is less than what they sell it for. So you can ask for, say, a $30 strap and a $15 lead, because they're only out of pocket maybe $20 (picking a random figure) rather than $45. So you get a good deal on stuff you'd have to buy anyways and they don't feel so bad about giving it to you if you're buying a big ticket item (I mean, who haggles when they buy a $15 lead, really?) Most every shop will go along with this. If they don't, find another shop.