Buying on Holiday
We all love to strike a bargain where ever we may be, but what are your haggling skills like when you are on holiday?
More importantly, do you know when to haggle and when not to? We will look at effective methods of bartering - and once you hone your haggling skills, you will never look back! Besides, you are already on the road to saving yourself some serious cash by just reading this article, so listen up.
Sometimes, when we are abroad on holiday (depending on the destination) you will find yourself in market stalls, bazaars and stalls full of treasures that catch your eye. No price tag in sight, simply a man/woman making prices up from the top of their head. The local customs and language may be foreign to you, and many of us tourists, especially British ones, are notoriously bad at haggling. So what chance do we stand against the power of the local trader who spends his days selling things to gullible tourists like you and me? Plenty... If you know what you are doing.
So what can you begin by doing? Well I suggest even before you get on holiday, look for the best exchange rate for your money; hence increasing your resources and preparing for some serious haggling. Shop around for this and do not take the first advertised display or closest place for convenience. If you are fully aware of the currency exchange rates your bartering will become easier because you will not be second-guessing how much that beaded bracelet is costing you in your local rate - Would you really pay £20 for that beaded bracelet at your local market stall? Is £1 too much for the can of Pepsi? A taxi ride to the next town - should it be £3, £4 or£5? Remember - information is power so find out what the 'norm' is when paying for these necessities.
A lot of the time hotel reception desks or holiday reps can come to aid by helping you learn about the normal taxi rates and so on. More often than not though, you find yourself paying more than the locals, but at least you will know how much more. However - Many guides claim that you should offer a fixed percentage of the shopkeeper’s initial price. This is not actually the case because there are no rules in this type of bartering; shopkeepers are actually knowledgeable of this and value their products accordingly.
You will find that it is customary to haggle in countries such as China, Turkey, Tunisia and Egypt but as you begin bartering you will realise that there are certain ways to get what you want. After visiting these countries, you will notice how Arabs are masters of negotiation, and we need to up our game to get that juicy deal. One thing they love is when you make an effort and use words from their language, so think of words such as 'Shukran' meaning Thank you and 'Salaam' meaning Hello to get you some brownie points in any Arab state when buying your souvenirs. However, be watchful because you can easily lose perspective when you are plied with cups of mint tea and friendly banter - You may leave buying more than intended! Therefore I would say, be friendly but set a limit and be completely and utterly frank about what you are looking for. A neutraliser to these sorts of sweetening gestures is to step outside the shop to clear your mind and work out whether or not you are being offered a bargain.
So we have mentioned how being friendly with the locals and traders is always great and fun too! A great example of this is from, last year I went to Berlin's Flea Market, Flohmarkt am Mauerpark, and a painted bangle caught my eye. After making some conversation and jokes with the trader I asked him for the price of this bangle and he replied three. Having misheard 'three' for 'Free' I simply put it on my wrist with a cheeky smile and began walking to the next stall! (Yes I know!...Only I could be this silly...And get away with it!) Anyway he came after me to tell me how he meant 'Three' Euros not 'Free' and we had a laugh about it - (Better still, my silliness did in fact get me a freebie)! So get friendly with the locals, where ever you may be. It may bag you a bargain - or better still a freebie!
One thing to be mindful of when bartering on holiday is that if you show any enthusiasm or excitement over a product, the vendor will most definitely use this to their advantage. Steer clear of the gushing of how much your mother will appreciate that peal ring and how you simply can not leave without it. Instead, take a nonchalant stance and also blend in with the crowd. Do not wear a load of silver and expensive looking garments because this shows you can afford to pay more than others. Just give off an air of casual and non-committal interest and you will be much happier than those who choose to ignore this tip.
This final tip is an oldie but a goldie; Walking away from the trader to show you are not bothered to buy from them for the price they are offering. This is an uncanny ploy to snatch what you really want using reverse psychology. Majority of the time they will come after you with a better offer - however you also need to be prepared to lose this deal because they could possible not care about you walking. I only do this one when the place I am buying from is completely quiet and you know that if you do not buy this item, they will probably not sell it on that day straight away.
Bartering can be fun and with more practice it becomes almost second nature to you. Once you get the hang of it you’ll have some amusing banter with locals around the world and pick up some fabulous bargains along the way!
Saima Omar - @Lookitssaima Tweet me with your haggling stories #Holidayhaggling