186 CultureShock! Egypt
‘first price’. Depending on the product, this may be as much
as 500 per cent what the shopkeeper expects to get. More
expensive items tend to have a lower mark-up.
Next, you can try telling the vendor you were ‘just looking’.
At this point, he will typically either ask you what you are
willing to pay or give you a second or ‘good price’. If you really
don’t want the product, tell him so. If, after several attempts,
the shopkeeper won’t take ‘no’ for an answer, you can offer
an ‘insult’ price. This is a price so ridiculously low that you
know and he knows you do not expect to get the item.
If, on the other hand, you actually would like to purchase
the item, offer a price of, say, 20 per cent of what the ‘first
price’ was. This process can have several iterations, so that
before you finally agree on a price you may go through
second and third or more prices before you get to a ‘best
price’. Some sellers will go directly to a ‘best price’ after the
first price if they feel you are a seasoned bargainer. Others
just like the game.
Local, neighbourhood bargaining or bargaining with a
shopkeeper or owner of the store with whom you have an
established relationship is one thing. Any time you shop in
tourist areas is quite another and may present the problems
outlined below.A vendor at a typical tourist gauntlet. If you show interest, be prepared for
some insistent attention.