Bargaining power
17 May 2005
Hotel Astoria, Calcutta
Bargaining. It's just like arguing. Well, okay... It is arguing. To win one must be more stubborn than one's opponent.
Ha! Finally, something I'm good at. I'm a natural at it. Sadly, though, I haven't got a clue what things ought to cost. Am I a tough bargainer? You betcha. Are the prices I'm insisting so doggedly on really all that low? No idea.
One man quoted me 375 rupees for a saree. I bargained him down to 250. Decent price? Not sure. It's more than half his original quote, but what does that prove?
Walked another block and saw a man selling sarees of similar quality, fabric and colour. He quoted me 2050. Not sure what to think.
A man on the street quoted me 120 for a shoulder bag. No matter how tough I was, he wouldn't go less than 90, which is less than anybody else in the group had paid. Since then he's hounded me every single time I've walked by. He wants me to send everybody else on the team to him. He's probably thinking something along the lines of Stupid white people are going to make me a rich man!
Hotel Astoria, Calcutta
Bargaining. It's just like arguing. Well, okay... It is arguing. To win one must be more stubborn than one's opponent.
Ha! Finally, something I'm good at. I'm a natural at it. Sadly, though, I haven't got a clue what things ought to cost. Am I a tough bargainer? You betcha. Are the prices I'm insisting so doggedly on really all that low? No idea.
One man quoted me 375 rupees for a saree. I bargained him down to 250. Decent price? Not sure. It's more than half his original quote, but what does that prove?
Walked another block and saw a man selling sarees of similar quality, fabric and colour. He quoted me 2050. Not sure what to think.
A man on the street quoted me 120 for a shoulder bag. No matter how tough I was, he wouldn't go less than 90, which is less than anybody else in the group had paid. Since then he's hounded me every single time I've walked by. He wants me to send everybody else on the team to him. He's probably thinking something along the lines of Stupid white people are going to make me a rich man!
this is the word of sic @
10:27
2 Comments:
I have been a poor bargainer since my spring break days in San Felipe while I was in college. I just hate doing it, feel like I am cheating people out of money.
I figure that most of the stuff that I am getting, is for a much better price than I could get at home so I don't try to go down much. I know this probably makes bargaining harder for the next guy, but there is nothing I hate more than some Westerner trying to get something decent for nothing, just because bargaining is part of the culture.
I figure someone's kid is probably eating a bit better because of me and that makes me feel okay about it.
By
..., at 8:49 a.m.
mishka, you touched on the one comment that made me change my mind. I started out like you, thinking that they needed my money a lot more than I did, and also thinking about the exchange rate, and thinking "I'm haggling over a quarter here." But then someone pointed out that paying outrageous prices not only inflates the cost for other tourists, but also for locals as well, so I did my part to bargain.
By
Anonymous, at 4:24 p.m.
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