“Youโre crazzzy!” screams the young man selling tripods on a Rome sidewalk. This got my attention.
โIโm crazy?โ I fire back, now face to face with the peddler.
โYes! Youโre crazy, Iโm crAZY, WEโRE ALL CRAZY!โ the 20-something yells while flailing his free hand into the air before walking away.
Moments before his outburst, the three of us, mainly Beth and the hawker, who weโll call Chuck, haggled over a lightweight, cheaply constructed tripod. โWhat do you want to pay, maam?” Chuck asks, quickly repeating the question over and over even as Beth says sheโs not interested. But this isnโt just any tripod, you see this three-legged beauty also comes with a carrying case, which Chuck is quick to point out.
โOh, itโs great, but I was just curious about the price,โ Beth says.
โWhat will you pay for this?โ Chuck repeatedly asks, throwing out prices โ25…23…22 euro.โ Beth declines, trying to explain she is not interested. Then, Chuck turns to me,โWhat will YOU pay?โ
โ1 euro,โ I say nonchalantly.
Clearly flustered now, Chuck squeals, โSeriously, seriously, why would you say that; 1 euro, why would you waste my time?โ As I try to explain myself, this is about the time Chuck verbally bitch slaps me with his โyouโre crazyโ rant.
Iโm still not really sure what caused Chuckโs incensed reaction. Had our negations pushed him to his limit? Was he just having a bad day? Or was this part of some twisted hawker logic: If you flip out, they will feel bad and buy?
And while this was not my first rodeo with street peddlers, I learned a very valuable lesson that evening: never try to justify yourself to a hawker, just keep walking.
Do you have any wild tales about street vendors? Or tips for bargaining with them? Feel free to share your stories or advice below in the comments.
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29 comments
While at the Red Fort in Agra, we had a man try to sell us his services as a tour guide. We declined and kept walking. He followed, making his case. We continued to decline. As we reached the gates, he screamed, “HOW WILL YOU UNDERSTAND?!?!? HOW?!?!”
Oh, India.
I know, they don’t realize being angry def. does not work! @Meg,
Hilarious! This really made me laugh. Two years ago I spent some time in Africa and wherever we went we were followed by people trying to sell us stuff, they used to say things like ‘I’ll lower the price for you because you have such pretty hair’ and rubbish like that. It took a while before we learnt to tell them to go away!
Hi Harriet,
yeah, they’ll say anything. At least they were tyring to compliment you though ๐ @Harriet,
Earlier this year In Belize I was corner by some very persistant drug dealers. They really wanted to sell me some weed. They finally gave up when I was persistant in my disinterest.
I learned the hard way not to engage in conversation with them as that just adds fuel to their sales tactics. I guess every rookie traveler has to learn that the hard way.
You’re 100% right. Sometimes, even though you feel bad you can’t even look them in the eye. @Nick Laborde,
I try to stay away from them especially in Paris, they go in groups usually with a con and a pickpocket.
Yeah, I have a love/hate relationship with them. Fortunately I haven’t encountered any groups w/ pickpockets but I’ve heard many stories! Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment ๐ @Jane,
Yah, sounds like the seller was practicing a normal routine. A lady in Vietnam was selling bread and I knew the correct price, so when I handed her the “right” amount of money to buy 1 loaf, she blew up, demanding 2x the price…threatening to hit me. In a situation like that, I couldn’t resist laughing, so I thanked her and continued (she didn’t hit me!).
A similar situation has happened to me in Mexico. I always think it is funny! @Migrationology,
I luckily haven’t had to deal with these yet. Oh boy I can only imagine how I will fail saying NO. ๐
Oh don’t worry Erica, you’ll get good at it a lot faster than you think! @Erica,
LOL I think they’re out to get us. I was at the Market in Florence before and I glance at a bracelet. This guy just jump infront of me and keep saying you want? I say no no no and try to walk away. Then he’s like come on, how much would you pay then? When you throw him back a lower number he look at me if I was insane and then he say okay how about two with xyz price and he wrap it and throw in side my shopping bag (quickly) … I had no choice but feel guilty and paid him. LOL and then when I went inside the food market I almost tears because my fiance was laughing at me saying I was too nice. Then he notice there was a teardrop he quickly stop poking fun at me. Now that I think about it I laugh…
Yeah, i noticed in florence they were VERY pushy. I wanted to buy a hat and I tried one on but it looked bad. I wanted to try a different one on but the guy wouldn’t let me unless I bought it first. He started yelling at me. They live in Florence they should be happy but instead they are some of the biggest jerks! @Sarah Wu,
I thankfully have never encountered an angry seller but there are plenty in my life daily in Italy.
They are much more persistent in Rome; in Florence they generally just walk away once you say no. I’m so used to (and unflattered by) hearing “Ciao Bella!” every 5 steps that I don’t even look up from my path but it doesn’t make it less annoying.
The best is when the rose sellers try to sell to a single girl, just incase you forgot you were alone? Or even a group of girls. But I generally try to be polite unless they won’t leave me alone.
Hahah… That is too funny! A never saw a rose seller in Italy but I’ve seen plenty in Mexico and in SD. Good for me though, they only try to sell it to the guys…@Annie,
Never had an encounter like this myself, but heard more then enough stories about them from other people. Its tempting to respond when they offer you something, but the best solution really seem to just keep walking!
It is tempting and sometimes fun but if you’re not in the mood, it can be a real pain. Thanks for commenting! @Tijmen,
Hawkers make me happy. all you have to do is make eye contact and from there they are on you. and if you dont buy they make a big fuss out of it. am sorry you got insulted
hahah… Good for you Zablon. A lot of times I love them too, it’s just that sometimes they are so mean! @Zablon,
When I’m in the right mood, I love interacting with street hawkers. One of them was trying to sell us this cheap necklace one time, I took it and was looking at it but he was driving a hard bargain (because Jack was looking waaay too interested in it). So in the end I fished out a bill half the price of his last. Holding the money in one hand and the necklace in the other, I was dangling both of them in front of his face. I was like, ‘Alright, your choice.’ — He took the money.
You sound like a pro Jill! If in the right mood though, it can really be fun!@Jill – Jack and Jill Travel The World,
When I was in Italy, a dude was selling watches on a stand he made out of a cardboard box. Apparently, the price I offered him was too low, so he folded up his stand and walked it around the corner in disgust!
woops!
Hahah… That’s awesome! @Brooke vs. the World,
I hope it wasn’t a “travel”dude! ๐
Nice one… I guess every travelers experienced something similar. Keep on walking is good. If you are in a really good mood, it’s fun to turn the situation around & do it on the fun way. I remember how hawkers started the conversations with “Where are you from?” We just replied “From the moon!”. Makes sense? No! But it worked! They looked strange & were then smiling… & we were gone. ๐
You are totally right Melvin. If you can make a joke about it. It becomes really fun! @Melvin,
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