Mastering the art of bartering
Enjoying travel is probably 20 per cent money and 80 per cent attitude.
I remember how my first work trip to Indonesia with a cynical and jaded geologist on my team really opened my eyes to the fact that the endless possibilities for wonderful experiences (or otherwise) are very much in the eye of the beholder.
I loved bargaining, having learnt it from my father, and on my lesser salary I benefited from it, whereas the geologist couldn't be bothered with the time it took and didn't notice the bemused looks on the faces of the merchants who had just fleeced him.
My Dad was the best (Western) bargainer I have ever seen, because he was theatrical. When we lived in Kuwait he was very fond of going to the carpet souq (market) and he never left empty handed, much to my mother's annoyance. He almost always went to the same merchant, who was a small rotund man in a pure white dishdasha, with a row of gold teeth which gleamed as he smiled. Dad would always bring one of us three daughters with him. The performance would go a little like this:
Dad: "This is a very fine carpet, but a little small and a little worn. What price is this?"
Merchant: "No, no Sir, not worn but very old. And very cheap, for much quality" at which point he would smack the carpet sharply with his hand and a cloud of dust would waft out, demonstrating the filth of generations. The merchant would then wax lyrical about the qualities that only this particular carpet possessed, that it was one of the best he had ever acquired in the price range, and how it would be a steal at any price, but it would go to my father, a much loved customer, for just [amount].
My father would gasp, put his hand to his heart, take a faltering step backward, while his eyes rolled heavenward. Whichever daughter he had brought with him would steady him, while the merchant hurriedly produced a chair. Dad would subside into it, and the merchant would press a cup of strong, sweet tea on him.
When he had recovered himself, he would say "Well, it is a very fine carpet, for its size, but I cannot afford to pay such a price. My wife would be very angry with me, wouldn't she, dear?" he would address to the daughter, who would dutifully say "Oh, yes, Father!" with great feeling.
The merchant, after pontificating a little more about the wonders of the carpet, would then say something like "...but I would not like your wife to be angry, because then you would not come to see me again, so I think I could go down to [lesser amount].
Dad would give a little hiccup, and point to the daughter, reminding the merchant that "As you know, I have three daughters, all of the age for marriage and yet unmarried."
Any merchant worth his salt understood that this was a great burden, as nubile daughters ate a lot and their weddings were very expensive. Dad would then suggest a ridiculously low price, and the merchant would laugh kindly and suggest a rather higher price.
This genial to-and-fro would spiral slowly downward for some time, until Dad eventually got his price, or as near to it as he ever would. He would sigh, and take the dinars from his wallet with a resigned smile.
On one such occasion, another Western couple were watching these antics, quite transfixed. As we were leaving, we heard the man ask the merchant, "Can we get the same price you just gave him?"
The merchant smiled, once again displaying his personal retirement fund and said, simply, "No."
Do you try to snag a bargain at local markets or are you generally willing to go with the price the locals give you?
Let us know in the comments below!
Written by Alison Adams-Smith. First appeared on Stuff.co.nz.
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