Why oh why did I haggle w/vendors so they wouldn’t think I was a sucker while traveling. What difference would it have made. They needed the few extra coins far more than I.
During my time in Thailand and the Philippines I did usually feel like a sucker. I just never could do the bargaining my (now) husband was so good at. Lots of sticks of expensive (yup) gum that I bought and did not chew. He was always happy to talk um down while I cringed and left the area. A cowardly sucker at that.
I was just a broke, wide-eyed-from-the-sticks Airman, but certainly felt rich in comparison. Little kids and old women walking the train tracks with heavy baskets of bananas on their heads and little girls in bars late at night selling sticks of gum. What a world.
That was a dilemma in the Peace Corps, when we had way more money than everyone else ($100 a month stipend!) but also wanted to be locals rather than tourists. Another dilemma: we hired someone to wash our clothes on the rocks in the stream and mop our floors for us, but that person thought we didn't need so much silverware and took half of it., And I still regret that we didn't hire someone to haul our water from the village tap, standing in line ourselves. In reality, we contributed more to the economy than any other contribution. Especially as we did not teach English -- those folks who made it into the US and sent back dollars years later could have used English lessons as youngsters.
Beautiful photographs. As for "haggling", I'd say it depends on the cultural expectations. In Mexico and again in the market in Samarkand, it was an expected part of the interaction betwixt passersby and merchant. To just slap down some money without a bit of back and forth jousting could be patronizing and avoid a traditional personal human exchange.
You have a good point, but I still cringe when remembering haggling with a child in Mexico selling small animal figures. I think now, i'd risk the kid's finding me patronizing and just pay the full amount. And in other cases, yes, bargain away good naturedly.
Ok, every situation is different. Regarding kids, I recall two pre-teen girls selling tiny perfect little palm leaf woven baskets in the Saturday market south of Oaxaca. Their price was two or more times the going rate and we back and forthed a bit and they smilingly settled on a high local, low tourist price. A rather abrasive smart-a$$ colleague then entered the fray, was quoted a price and with his so-so Spanish never realized that when they straight facedly accepted his return offer he'd paid 25% more than their first price. At bottom it's serious business but market kids can be as playfully engaged in the game as their parents!
Why oh why did I haggle w/vendors so they wouldn’t think I was a sucker while traveling. What difference would it have made. They needed the few extra coins far more than I.
i know.
During my time in Thailand and the Philippines I did usually feel like a sucker. I just never could do the bargaining my (now) husband was so good at. Lots of sticks of expensive (yup) gum that I bought and did not chew. He was always happy to talk um down while I cringed and left the area. A cowardly sucker at that.
if you are going to err--and as a 'rich' tourist, how could you not--better to err on the side of suckerdom.
I was just a broke, wide-eyed-from-the-sticks Airman, but certainly felt rich in comparison. Little kids and old women walking the train tracks with heavy baskets of bananas on their heads and little girls in bars late at night selling sticks of gum. What a world.
OK, my heart is breaking. For the older women haggling with shoppers, and for my poor self species. It is a good thing that you remind us
That was a dilemma in the Peace Corps, when we had way more money than everyone else ($100 a month stipend!) but also wanted to be locals rather than tourists. Another dilemma: we hired someone to wash our clothes on the rocks in the stream and mop our floors for us, but that person thought we didn't need so much silverware and took half of it., And I still regret that we didn't hire someone to haul our water from the village tap, standing in line ourselves. In reality, we contributed more to the economy than any other contribution. Especially as we did not teach English -- those folks who made it into the US and sent back dollars years later could have used English lessons as youngsters.
Beautiful photographs. As for "haggling", I'd say it depends on the cultural expectations. In Mexico and again in the market in Samarkand, it was an expected part of the interaction betwixt passersby and merchant. To just slap down some money without a bit of back and forth jousting could be patronizing and avoid a traditional personal human exchange.
You have a good point, but I still cringe when remembering haggling with a child in Mexico selling small animal figures. I think now, i'd risk the kid's finding me patronizing and just pay the full amount. And in other cases, yes, bargain away good naturedly.
Ok, every situation is different. Regarding kids, I recall two pre-teen girls selling tiny perfect little palm leaf woven baskets in the Saturday market south of Oaxaca. Their price was two or more times the going rate and we back and forthed a bit and they smilingly settled on a high local, low tourist price. A rather abrasive smart-a$$ colleague then entered the fray, was quoted a price and with his so-so Spanish never realized that when they straight facedly accepted his return offer he'd paid 25% more than their first price. At bottom it's serious business but market kids can be as playfully engaged in the game as their parents!
Thank you for this, Terry.
And yo you for commenting.
Your honesty is refreshing.