I've always known that haggling is a weakness on my part. I'm terrible at it. I can't keep a straight face. I don't know how to be jovial and witty but sharp and unrelenting. I don't know half of what's on the market and I can't even guess the selling price of half the things I buy. I can't soothe people's feelings after I've insulted them by offering too low a price. I don't know the proper techniques or the keywords to prove that I'm a frequent shopper (b/c I really am not, but appearance is everything) and so they shouldn't bother raising prices on me.
For those folks who say don't haggle, or who say that there isn't inflated price-gauging, I say differently. I scoff. I scoff b/c I have seen it happen and have had it happen to me many times. Compared to the Euro-American/caucasian tourist, I'm a "closer match" in physical appearance which by all accounts should give me some leverage. Yes, I'm short, I have dark hair, and I speak, read and write Vietnamese. And although being fluent in Vietnamese doesn't help with haggling, it sure helps when I hear the local merchants talk about prices. The locals can tell just by the way I walk that I'm not from around there, but when I'm in "tay ba lo" mode, they don't know that I know what they're talking about.
Even by the 9th month of my stay in VN, I had to work extra hard in order to "blend" in with the locals. So naturally, when I go shopping, it makes it even harder for me to haggle. When in Saigon, I usually frequented "Cho Vuon Chuoi" (banana grove market) on Nguyen Dinh Chieu, so I knew that when the merchant in Hanoi (her photo is in the Picasa Hanoi Gallery) told me that her chom chom (ramputans) are 31,000 vnd per kg, I knew she was charging me twice as much as the going price for that season. And even 15,000vnd per kilo is rather expensive. I mean, they better be really, really juicy and sweet ramputans.
Once, I was wandering about and entered a Saigon Kitsch shop (near downtown, 3 shops down from Fanny Ice Cream), I bought a cute little fan for $2.00 usd (approx 30,000vnd). That's not a lot compared to our standards. It's traditional in design and fabric and very portable and perfect for the hot summer months. I happily carried it around, feeling so smug I managed to snag suchh a great deal. In the US, it would have been around $5 - $10 (even more if I bought it in non-Viet American shops). My bubble was burst when I found out from chi Linh that those little fans are about 8,000 vnd and my aunt has about 10 of them and always carries one in her purse. Bummer. Chi Linh even knew the stall of a merchant in Cho Vuon Chuoi where you can haggle for an even lower price.
But, even better than that story is the one about the hats I purchased while cavorting through the streets of Saigon. I was burning to a crisp even with the masks and gloves and sunscreen applied in triple layers. I went to Non Son to buy a hat. The sales associates fitted me with some of the most fashionable styles at that time and I was so happy to be able to get a word in edgewise. Essentially, I got the "buy 1 get 1 free" deal. Khuyen mai, khuyen mai!! I was on cloud nine. I took home two hats. About two weeks later, I found a shop on Hai Ba Trung street that sold a similar hat for half the price (60,000vnd). A few months later, before I was to leave VN, chi Phuong and I found a stall near Cho Ben Thanh (Ben Thanh Market is the largest market in Saigon). The merchant offered me 600,000vnd for the exact same hat that I bought at Non Son. Are you kidding me? 60,000 vs. 600,000? Get this, I asked him in English and he replied in English. Then I said in Vietnamese that I bought one for only 60,000vnd. He just ignored me and turned to another customer.
Some folks may think I deserve paying that much since I hail from a better economy and if I'm that gullible to pay for those hats, then so be it. I disagree. It really is the principle of things, isn't it? Many foreign tourists pay different prices and they don't mind b/c it's only a couple of cents difference in the price. But, it's about the principle. With one look, the merchants assess who I am (or who I appear to be) and then determine how much I should contribute to their livelihood. They see through me as if I am deserving of being exploited and deserve paying extra. I balk at the fact that in their estimation (correct as it may be!) I am gullible enough. Just enough.
When my cousins took me to the Cu Chi Tunnels, they paid for my ticket. Locals pay 8,000vnd but foreigners pay 80,000vnd. Ten times as much. Depending on the situation and location, "foreigner" is defined differently and I usually fall under Viet Kieu which indicates that I'm not a foreigner in the sense of the white/euro-american tourists that they see coming from the US. But, when we came to historical sites, I usually have to pay through the nose like any other foreigner. Oh I know, 80,000 is a little over $5.00 which isn't that much. But, when you think about the difference, it's astronomical. Isn't it?
Given that, I say haggle all you want b/c that's the way life is lived. You have to particiate in it, but be absolutely aware of what's going on. Be an informed participant. Don't haggle when it's a posted price b/c you won't win. Otherwise, be cautious and be discerning. Roll up your sleeves and get to it!
No comments:
Post a Comment