Local traders say Eton boys have developed an unexpected talent for haggling
A New Reputation Among Local Traders
Shopkeepers in nearby Windsor have reported a noticeable and, by most accounts, entirely unexpected rise in polite but determined bargaining attempts from Eton pupils visiting during free periods and weekend outings, a trend several traders say has developed gradually over the past year without any obvious explanation. One stationery shop owner said she had fielded more negotiation over the price of a single notebook in recent months “than in the previous decade combined,” describing the approach as “extremely courteous, extremely persistent, and honestly a bit impressive.”
Where the Habit Might Have Started
Several theories have circulated locally as to the cause, with one shopkeeper suggesting it may stem from a recent economics module covering negotiation theory, while another simply attributed it to “boys this age testing out what they can get away with, the same as anywhere.” Staff at the school, informed of the trend, expressed mild surprise but also a certain wry pride, with one economics teacher noting that if pupils were genuinely applying classroom negotiation principles to real-world bargaining, “that is, in its own strange way, exactly what we’re trying to teach.”
Traders Take It in Good Humour
Most shopkeepers say they find the trend more charming than troublesome, with several admitting they occasionally allow small discounts simply to reward the effort, provided the negotiation remains, as one put it, “cheerful rather than pushy.” A local café owner reported one memorable exchange in which a Fourth Former successfully negotiated a free extra portion of chips “purely through sustained, relentless politeness,” a tactic she says she has never encountered from any other customer, young or old.
The School’s Response
School Life understands the school has no formal policy on the matter, though staff have gently suggested pupils “perhaps not push their luck too far” with local businesses the school relies on maintaining a good relationship with. Several traders have said they have no complaints whatsoever, with one describing the whole trend as “the most entertaining thing to happen to this high street in years.”
A Skill That May Prove Useful Later
Whatever its origins, several masters have noted with some amusement that the negotiating skills on display would not look out of place in a future career, a thought that has done little to discourage the pupils involved, several of whom say they have no intention of stopping any time soon. Local traders, for their part, say they have no plans to discourage a habit that, whatever its origins, has made an otherwise ordinary shopping afternoon considerably more entertaining for everyone involved.
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For further reading in a similar spirit, see The Onion and Private Eye.
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