Vagabonding by Rolf Potts

Author:Rolf Potts
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780679647423
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2002-12-23T16:00:00+00:00

BARGAINING

Outside of the industrialized world, fixed prices are used primarily in restaurants and on buses. Nearly every other product and service on the planet (from hotels to souvenirs to market goods) is open to negotiation — and only a fool would accept an opening price without haggling a little. Below are a few tips for braving the world of nonfixed prices.

Souvenirs

• Despite the exotic wonders that abound once you arrive overseas, avoid the compulsion to immediately start buying souvenirs. Not only will this save you the trouble of carrying these treasures around with you for the rest of your trip, but you’ll also have a better feel for how and what to buy after you’ve traveled around for a while.

• When bargaining, let the merchant make the first offer — and don’t respond by offering half the price and haggling from there. The merchants already expect you to do this, and they adjust their prices accordingly. Instead, see if the merchant will make another, lower offer before you start making bids. As you haggle, remain friendly and assertive (even playful), and try not to be rude or condescending. Conversely, don’t let the merchant sway you with emotional pleas and melodramatics. Remember that he or she is much more experienced at this than you, and one of the most successful sales techniques in markets worldwide is to make First World shoppers feel guilty for not spending more money on something.

• Rule No. 1 as a conscientious shopper: Never offer a price on an item and then refuse to pay it. If you’re not sure you want something, don’t make a bid on it, period.

• In most tourist areas, souvenir shops sell similar items. Make comparisons before you make your purchase — and don’t let merchants convince you that this is somehow impolite. Competition, after all, is how healthy markets thrive.

• Bargaining can be very difficult during tourist high season, when vacationers are happy to pay inflated prices for just about anything. If possible, save your souvenir shopping for low season; the products are the same, but the merchants will more likely be in a position to compromise.

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