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| The Grand Bazaar, Istanbul Turkey |
Here are a few tips that you may find useful - but keep in mind that you should listen to the negotiating advice of your tour guide, as the best approaches may vary from one part of Turkey to another.
Shopping is a negotiation - sometimes
In a typical bazaar you will probably be initially overwhelmed with the variety and choice of goods and produce for sale. The vendors may break down into two broad categories:
• Those that are selling small-scale loose commodities and foodstuffs;
• Those that are selling goods and manufactured items.
As a general rule, vendors that have shops and stalls selling the second category of item typically will have a ticket price that they will be prepared to discuss and debate. In fact, they may be rather surprised if you don't!
By contrast, vendors of everyday consumables may not assume that their prices are there to be discussed and argued over. So, if you are trying to buy a few hundred grams of pistachio nuts, the stallholder probably won't expect a huge negotiation over the price per kilo!
Negotiating techniques
In Turkey, tours may give you the opportunity to bargain in bazaars but of course there is a technique. Many Turkish proprietors will stand outside their shops and try to gently and politely encourage you to look at their items. If you are interested, don't hesitate to look.
Always be prepared to say "no thank you" and to walk away. In spite of the vendor's apparent heartbreak at your decision, this will not offend them. They do not expect to make a sale every time they talk to someone!
If you are seriously interested in the item, ask for a price. The normal convention is for you to look doubtful or horrified and to feign a lack of further interest. That is usually a sign for the vendor to indicate that they may be able to move on the price and perhaps to give you a revised offer. After some further discussion (during which you may suggest that you are about to walk away again, even if you have no intention of doing so), if you and the vendor feel that you may have some common ground, you may be invited into the shop for some delicious sweet apple tea or similar. If you go in and accept the offer, you are indicating that you are seriously interested in the item and are looking to really cut a deal. Once inside, expect the conversation to immediately move to just about any subject on earth other than the transaction in hand. Many Turkish people regard shopping, and the ensuing negotiation, as a highly social activity and something to be enjoyed. It is an opportunity to talk to others and exchange views. After a while, the conversation will be brought back to the sale and you and the vendor will reach a final consensus price for the item.
Figures
Of course, this won't apply in chic designer outlets in towns and cities where, these days, the price may be pretty much the price (though you can try!). It is primarily applicable in the bazaar.
In Turkey, tours of the bazaar will generate temptation. It's a fascinating and highly enjoyable experience; but remember that shopping here is, ultimately, a commercial negotiation. It is impossible to generalise because so much will depend upon where you are in Turkey, what you are looking at, and how much you wish to spend. Yet, as a very crude guideline, you may be able to negotiate down the asking price of more expensive items by perhaps as much as 50%.
If you are in Turkey, tours of the bazaar are a unique opportunity to experience a friendly and very different culture - and a method of shopping that simply no longer exists in much of the rest of Europe. Don't miss the chance!
Article Source: EzineArticles
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