"Dave" wrote
The problem is that implicit in the phrase is the assumption that the
speaker regards haggling as an undesirable trait, .....

That's what I've been trying to say to bobsy -- that the *problem* is in an
*assumption* that prolly isn't true. Thus any injury is done by the 'assumer' to
him/herself. Logic dictates that one should stop injuring oneself.

One problem is that the assumption may not be correct in all cases. ....

Or even in most cases today.

There are all kinds of subtleties here, and great potential for
miscommunication, so it's not a good phrase to use.

I would tend to agree, I just don't think any word or phrase is Earth shattering
as the PC among us believe. I have no desire to hurt anybody's feelings but
neither will I let their illogical assumptions unreasonably limit my choice of
words. I wish I could offer some good Jewish joke to illustrate my point but
none come to mind.