You know I can't
just give you the iPod touch.

The effects of the economic downturn is being found in big box stores across the US.

Consumers are embracing the ancient strategy of haggling — talking down prices of TVs, gadgets and more at stores like Best Buy, Circuit City and even clothing retailers like Polo Ralph Lauren.

Big-ticket items aren't the only ones getting the treatment. Couches, rugs and clothing are also getting worked down, according to The New York Times.

Stores like Home Depot are reportedly giving salespeople more control over prices in order to please increasingly fickle and hardship-ridden consumers. The most aggressive hagglers include comparison shoppers that have seen lower online rates for the same items found in stores.

"We want to work with the customer, and if that happens to mean negotiating a price, then we’re willing to look at that," said spokeswoman Kathryn Gallagher for Home Depot.

One haggler snagged two big screen TVs with a $1,000 discount at a New York PC Richard & Son — while another, armed with knowledge of prices online, bought a pair Polo jeans for $15 off the sticker price.

Retail historian Nancy Koehn of Harvard Business School called the trend "the eBay phenomenon."

"The recession is helping to push these seedlings to the surface," she said.