A Daily Mail reporter tested whether shoppers can haggle for discounts at mainstream High Street chains, visiting stores in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, to see if polite requests could cut prices. Despite British reluctance to negotiate outside markets or car dealerships, the experiment found that staff at major retailers do have discretion to knock money off certain items, particularly those with cosmetic flaws or approaching sell-by dates.

At Tesco, the reporter secured a 40 per cent reduction on a dented tin of olive oil after asking a sales assistant, and was directed to a section of "unloved" fruit and vegetables with bruises or blemishes, where prices were cut by up to 50 per cent; strawberries dated for that day were also reduced. At Marks & Spencer, staff said a 10 per cent discount could be offered on clothing items with marks or minor damage. The piece frames these as replicable tactics, encouraging readers to ask staff about imperfect stock or items nearing their best-before date to secure similar savings at supermarkets and other High Street retailers such as Boots and Waterstones.