Anne Nelson has no doubts when she's arguing with a salesman over the price of a car. She first checks car prices and does some research and then adopts a take-it-or-leave-it attitude. That helped her get 15 percent knocked off the price of a used BMW. But what about asking for a discount on vegetables at the grocery store? Or bargaining for a better rate for a hotel room? To some, maybe the very thought of doing these is terrifying. Bargaining was once considered an old art only done in old world markets. But, this ancient form is spreading rapidly in modern day America, experts say. This is thanks to a weakened economy, a decrease in consumer spending, and most of all, plenty of choices of products and sellers. Experts say that a growing number of people are starting to realize once again that a price tag is merely just a starting point for negotiations. "People want better deals. As economic times have got more difficult, they're no longer afraid to ask for  _ , "says Britt Beemer, chairman of the Charleston, South Carolina travel information and planning office. Experts say that spend-thrift sensibility shouldn't be limited to big ticket items such as homes and cars. Rick Doble, editor of savvy-discounts.com, says he bargains over everything: hotel rooms, electronics, and even food. "Nine times out of 10, when you ask, you'll get a better deal, " Doble says. "Companies know they have to be prepared to offer the best deal these days, "says Steven Cohen, founder of the Negotiation Skills Co. in Massachusetts. "Because consumers have a huge amount of choice, bargaining is becoming more experienced and clever, especially over the Internet. " The most important reason why bargaining is popular in modern day America is that   _  .
the consumer earn less money than before the businessmen are not as honest as before there are plenty of choices of products and sellers the economic times have got more difficult