Anonymous A started this discussion 14 years ago#18,623
You know what pisses me off a lot when going to the developing world is you have to haggle for fucking everything you buy, it's retarded. In some places white skin means you're just gonna have a bunch of cunts trying to rip you off. One time in Egypt, ask a man how much a beach towel is and he replies $30 US. Just annoys me. The Western way would be to have the prices very high (almost extortionate) but not completely ridiculous. It's like they're insulting you too kinda, asking insane prices for shit. Just stop it.
Anonymous B joined in and replied with this 14 years ago, 7 minutes later[^][v]#308,588
sup, to4str?
Anonymous C joined in and replied with this 14 years ago, 48 seconds later, 7 minutes after the original post[^][v]#308,589
Just hold your ground.
Broseph !!fxnDb+Ve4 joined in and replied with this 14 years ago, 1 hour later, 1 hour after the original post[^][v]#308,642
You'll pay $30 for a good beach towel in US anyway, the difference is you can't haggle for it here. At least there you have the option to haggle. If you feel like you're getting ripped off, you don't buy it. In the US you can only haggle for big purchases like cars and homes. What's really annoying (and I know it's just a cultural misunderstanding, but it's still annoying) is when Indians and Mexicans try to haggle over the price of TVs and other normal retail stuff where you just can't haggle. Maybe they can get away with that at places like Best Buy where it's marked up so much that they'll come down when you try to haggle, but not where I work.
Anonymous A (OP) replied with this 14 years ago, 16 minutes later, 1 hour after the original post[^][v]#308,665
@previous (Broseph !!fxnDb+Ve4)
You can still haggle in most places in the UK, for big stuff like expensive appliances or whatever, easy way to save some money. Maybe the Mexicans haggle more because they do manual labor jobs.
(Edited 1 minute later.)
Falco !PZmcClOUDk joined in and replied with this 14 years ago, 2 hours later, 3 hours after the original post[^][v]#308,694
armenians do that. i fucking hate the glendale area.
Killer Lettuce !!iNo3FkiZx joined in and replied with this 14 years ago, 2 hours later, 6 hours after the original post[^][v]#308,713
Tell you what, OP. I'll give you a serious reply in return for £10. I won't go any lower than that.
Handel !khEOdtKF56 joined in and replied with this 14 years ago, 2 hours later, 8 hours after the original post[^][v]#308,751
The only people who complain about haggling are people who can't do it.
Acquire some social skills retard.
Anonymous A (OP) replied with this 14 years ago, 7 hours later, 15 hours after the original post[^][v]#308,842
@previous (Handel !khEOdtKF56)
I have no problem haggling. End of the day I didn't travel thousands of miles to pay $8 for a can of fucking Coke. It just irritates me these places have it like this, I don't want to have a fucking 5 minute confrontation every time I buy a souvenir. Just give a decent honest price to start off with and don't make me feel like I'm starving your wife and kids for refusing to pay insane prices...
kook !nH6RAuX8mo joined in and replied with this 14 years ago, 14 minutes later, 16 hours after the original post[^][v]#308,844
@previous (A)
I've been bothered by various aggressive vendors in the past. Makes me feel like a bitch, because I usually have to pull away anyone that I'm with.
Anonymous A (OP) replied with this 14 years ago, 12 minutes later, 16 hours after the original post[^][v]#308,850
@previous (kook !nH6RAuX8mo) > various aggressive vendors
Hasslers, or hagglers?
kook !nH6RAuX8mo replied with this 14 years ago, 5 minutes later, 16 hours after the original post[^][v]#308,853
@previous (A)
hasslers and hagglers in America and Mexico.
Stealth joined in and replied with this 14 years ago, 8 minutes later, 16 hours after the original post[^][v]#308,855
> You know what pisses me off a lot when going to the developing world
And there you have the key "developing world" I HATE it as well when I travel. In developing 3rd world places people have the time to haggle and even demand IT. I have been turned away from a seller because I asked for just one bottom price. In areas of the mid east and china they demand developing a relationship before you even start to work out a price. Sitting down for tea in the mid east or china first and spending time, because they have a lot of time.
When the cost of the time exceeds the value of the transaction then the haggling goes away.
Anonymous A (OP) replied with this 14 years ago, 3 minutes later, 16 hours after the original post[^][v]#308,858
@previous (Stealth) > In areas of the mid east and china they demand developing a relationship before you even start to work out a price.
lol wut
kook !nH6RAuX8mo replied with this 14 years ago, 1 minute later, 16 hours after the original post[^][v]#308,860
Anonymous A (OP) replied with this 14 years ago, 5 minutes later, 16 hours after the original post[^][v]#308,863
@previous (kook !nH6RAuX8mo)
Haggling for weed in Asia is a pain in the fucking ass too.
Stealth replied with this 14 years ago, 4 minutes later, 16 hours after the original post[^][v]#308,864
@308,858 (A)
One example I experienced. In Marrakesh Morocco on a trip with my GF bunch of years ago. Shop owner insisted on sitting down with a pot of tea for about 20 minutes before even bringing over rugs to view. That was just one of 5 shops so it was a loooong day. Try and say no to the tea and just get a price on a rug? Not possible.
China after several trips about the only thing a set price works for is food. Shops in Chinatown San Francisco or New York will often give you a lower price if you start to walk away. As kook says Mexico. Its the culture that demands the bargain.
Broseph !!fxnDb+Ve4 replied with this 14 years ago, 38 minutes later, 17 hours after the original post[^][v]#308,870
@previous (Stealth)
Wow, you nearly quoted Paul Rabinow exactly. He did fieldwork in Morocco and it really is like that.
Stealth replied with this 14 years ago, 8 minutes later, 17 hours after the original post[^][v]#308,871
@previous (Broseph !!fxnDb+Ve4)
Had to look up Rabinow. Morocco is my best example because it was wayyyyyy back when I first ran into not being able to get out of the haggle. Shops in Mexico has signs that will say "Set Price" or something of that order. We also had no clue on the limits of colors of natural dyes, so what we were looking for really did not exist in Morocco.
I never developed any friendships as a result of shopping and I have been all over the planet. However meeting people on the street and miss understanding their English, has resulted in life long friendships. Not knowing a countries language has resulted in my best experiences so far.
Anonymous J joined in and replied with this 14 years ago, 10 hours later, 1 day after the original post[^][v]#309,054
Learn to haggle, faggle.
Anonymous K joined in and replied with this 14 years ago, 4 minutes later, 1 day after the original post[^][v]#309,056
@308,864 (Stealth) @308,870 (Broseph !!fxnDb+Ve4)
Everyone I know who has gone to morocco has this same story. Only afew people, but my god.
Broseph !!fxnDb+Ve4 replied with this 14 years ago, 3 minutes later, 1 day after the original post[^][v]#309,058
@previous (K)
For someone like Rabinow or other anthropologists doing fieldwork there, that's awesome. Normally it's hard to build relationships to learn about the culture you're studying, but there you don't even have a choice. It kinda sucks if you're on vacation or something and don't want to spend all day building a friendship to buy a coat, but it's part of the experience.
dreamworks !k36EljOEVQ joined in and replied with this 14 years ago, 11 hours later, 1 day after the original post[^][v]#309,222
i like beach towels they are comfy and easy to wear
Anonymous M joined in and replied with this 14 years ago, 12 minutes later, 1 day after the original post[^][v]#309,229
Think of it like dating women OP. The ones you really want will punish you for expressing this too eagerly while the ones you don't really want will bend over backwards to please you.
It's hardwired in human DNA. Seriously. There is research to show that when humans believe themselves to be in a position of dominance over another they immediately seek to maximize that situation. While when they feel powerless, they immediately seek the attention and acceptance of others. It's an evolutionary survival adaptation we're all guilty of.
It's like this. If you really want something, learn to be coy about it.
(Edited 3 minutes later.)
Stealth replied with this 14 years ago, 25 minutes later, 1 day after the original post[^][v]#309,237