http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/Cheapskate/26156 Last weekend I went to Linens 'n Things to buy an iPod dock. I ended up at the register with a new sheet set and comforter as well. I had thought the comforter was just $99 but at the register it rang up at $160. "Oh, no thank you, then. I don't want to pay that much today," I told the clerk. Then I had a thought. "Unless, of course, you have one of those extra 20 percent off coupons lying around," I added, with a smile. She punched a couple keys on the register and took 20 percent off my entire purchase. What a wonderful surprise! Moral of the story: Don't be shy to politely haggle in department stores. But the key is to be nice to the hard-working clerks. Gruff demands won't get you anything but bad karma. — Jennifer Baldwin Last weekend I went to Linens 'n Things to buy an iPod dock. I ended up at the register with a new sheet set and comforter as well. I had thought the comforter was just $99 but at the register it rang up at $160. "Oh, no thank you, then. I don't want to pay that much today," I told the clerk. Then I had a thought. "Unless, of course, you have one of those extra 20 percent off coupons lying around," I added, with a smile. She punched a couple keys on the register and took 20 percent off my entire purchase. What a wonderful surprise! Moral of the story: Don't be shy to politely haggle in department stores. But the key is to be nice to the hard-working clerks. Gruff demands won't get you anything but bad karma. — Jennifer Baldwin en-us