Haggling

There is nothing I hate more than haggling. I'm too soft spoken and thin skinned to be good at it, but at the same time I feel compelled to use every trick in the book to deprive these poor local merchants of my gringo dollars.

Haggling is such a crazy activity, it's incredibly complex if you think about it. The basic context of two human beings with conflicting motivations of desire and greed for monetary and material wealth is difficult enough.

But then throw in the tricks and strategy of haggling and you have an incredibly intense game of wits.

as a foreign buyer you have to best-guess what the appropriate price is for a product, and the same product can be priced entirely differently based on the region, the shop owner, and even which street you happen to be on at the time. You have to wonder if the merchant is really not making money when he doesn't go lower or if he's just playing hardball or refusing to sell low. You have to consider the fact you are a rich foreigner and it wouldn't kill you to give him an extra one or two dollar in price, but at the same time, it's a matter of principle that you don't let yourself get boned. then there's the quality of the goods to consider,...etc...i could go on and on.

the strategies for haggling are numerous as well, straight take it or leave it offer (but you have to be willing to walk away), the solicitation of bids from different vendors, the ability to walk away, buying more than one item for a discount, etc... i could go on.

Supposedly, foreigners pay less than they would back home, the merchants make money and everyone is happy. But for me, I always wonder...what if I could have gotten it for less? what if...?

nope, don't like haggling.