system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: why is it totally ok and expected to haggle some items (like cars and apparently mattresses), while others have a fixed price? Why can't we haggle the price of chips or an iPhone?
gpt
You're more than welcome to try, but for pretty much anything from a chain or franchise store, the prices aren't set by the guy behind the register. He has no authority to change the prices of the items being sold and he risks his job doing so. Now if you went to a local mom & pop corner store where the owner's also the guy behind the counter, then yes, you could theoretically haggle over the price of a can of soda.

Another thing is volume. The guy selling you chips or soda have no incentive to offer you a better price because there's likely a dozen people behind you in line who would be more than willing to buy the item at the price being sold. One or two iphones or bags of chips being sold is not going to change their bottom line at the end of the day.

Car dealerships and mattresses, however, are sold in smaller volumes but for larger revenue. Manufacturers often include rewards for those who sell their inventory faster as well. There's more incentive for the middleman (the dealership) to make their sales, as each one has more of an impact. For car dealerships, throwing in small extra or shaving off a few thousand doesn't hurt their margins as badly because they bank a lot of revenue on maintenance and other repair services, which can only be done once they sell you the car. They're not just selling you a product, they're selling you a commitment...one they can profit off of down the road.