This is the store where I have spent many an hour and many a dinar. The shopkeepers know me. We're friends of sort now, and they always bring me a beverage of my choice while I shop, since it is usually at least a 2 hour ordeal. But as you can see from the below picture (which is only a tiny fraction of the store)--there are a lot of things to peruse. The man (I am blanking on his name right now) is from Pakistan, and is here working to save money so that he can get married to his fiance, who is still in Pakistan. He talks to his mom every day, and once we had an interesting discussion about whether or not children love one parent more than the other. He says that all sons (including himself) love their mom more. I told him I loved my parents the same, and he didn't believe me.
Anyway, the last time I went in the store, I bought quite a bit, and now I might be having buyer's remorse. I can't decide if the items are really as great as I originally thought they were, and think that maybe I should take some of them back. If you have any opinions, please share.
You should probably understand how the stores here work. There are no price tags, and you can pretty much guarantee that the prices for Americans are going to be marked up at least 30%, because they think we're all rich. And compared to a lot of people, we are. But if you don't like to bargain, you're going to get ripped off.
Here's what to do:
1. Pick what you want, getting prices on individual items along the way. Remember these prices and keep a running total in your head. Bargain a little on the pieces, but not too much.
2. Put everything you have gathered on the counter and tell them that you want the best price, which should be discounted based on volume. You should have a price in your head that you are willing to pay.
3. If the price they come back with is higher than the price in your head, you should continue to bargain. You might have to go through a few iterations of this cycle. It can be time consuming. Don't be intimidated.
4. Once they get close to the price in your head and you can tell they aren't going to go any lower, pick something that you had previously looked at, and say that you will pay their asking price provided they give you a gift of whatever the item is. Sometimes they offer the gift up themselves.
For example, this coral ring was a gift with my purchase. I liked it, but didn't feel the need to have it in my life for the price they wanted.
This is a henna pot (it was used to use the henna for tattoos). I love the henna pot, but I am not sure that it matches my decor. I have eclectic taste, and like to collect things from places I have traveled, but this practice doesn't always lead to a cohesive decor.
This is a silk rug. It was also a gift. What can I say--it pays to be a repeat customer. I think it would look great framed on a wall, but I had a hard time deciding what color and pattern to get. I run into the same problems I did with the henna pot.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about shopping here is the fact that they will give you several hundred dollars of goods on the honor system. The very first time I went, they told me I could take whatever I wanted, and pay for it later. I thought that was quite a bit of trust to be putting on a stranger. For all they knew I could have been flying out the next day, never to be seen again...
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3 comments:
...And that is why whenever we go anywhere together, you have to be my personal shopper...because I get intimidated too quickly. I do love the necklaces. I think you have very nice taste.
i love the fact that no matter wher you are, you are the go to person for shopping knowledge.
i hate bargaining. i like that ring though.
keep the rug thing. use it to swaddle your first born child.
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