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Good to see they have all the essentials. |
Haggling is haggling. That's why they call it haggling. It just sounds bad. If you are not used to it or you don't really know what the going rate is, you are probably going to get ripped off or at least, you are going to feel that way. You might even end up in an argument with a loved one over what amounts to a few cents. Such are the stresses of travelling. Why do we put ourselves through it? |
Here are some ideas on how to get used to it, if you are not and maybe even learn to live with it. It can be a scary, uncertain world out there without price tags so, if you notice the walls starting to spin, sit down, get some air and get right back in there. We, Canadians have a reputation for being soft. I believe it is our obligation to kick some ass somewhere. We will always pale in comparison to the USA where the military is concerned and the Olympics are the Olympics. I think we ought to try our collective hand at International haggling.
I believe that our most serious obstacle is that we lack information. Fortunately, all is not lost. It is my theory that India's economic situation has led to an underlying consensus that all merchants are trying to rip you off. We can use this to our advantage when purchasing anything. If you don't know what the going rate is, just turn around and ask someone. At least you may get a rough idea. A starting point, if you will.
The place that you will most encounter real knock-down-drag-out haggling is when dealing with taxi- and rickshaw- wallahs. Besides, there is this unwritten rule somewhere that requires people to pay 75% more than what the meter reads. (If you can even get them to use the meter!) This practice, sullies the whole transaction for me. I never once felt good about one taxi transaction and only once, felt good about a cycle rickshaw.
The difference with the Rickshaw transaction was that I possessed three valuable weapons in my haggling arsenal. Armed with a vague memory of basic principles of supply and demand, I quickly surveyed the field. At a glance, so as not to waste the opportunity, I was able to estimate an eight to one ratio of Rickshaw- wallahs to potential passengers. I don't really know, some pedestrians could have been decoys but I went in anyway. The next phase of my attack relied on the element of surprise. He didn't know that I knew that he didn't know what I knew. You see, the cornerstone of my assault rested on the fact that I had reliable information about how much the fare should be for the distance. I had previously travelled this route with a friend from Kalimpong. That time, I was merely the student, watching and learning from every move. This day, the price started at Rs. 30 but I knew that it should only be Rs.12. A little resolve and two hours to waste before my train arrived was all that I needed to beat him down to Rs.13. It may not seem like much but it was significant to me at the time.
Armed with a little knowledge, you can make a bit of a challenge out of it. Why not bet your travelling partner on a nice dinner for the one who can pay the lowest percentage of the asking price? Set yourself a goal of fifty percent and start haggling. Admittedly, this is a tough goal to hit but remember to take note of how you feel at the end of the day. You will probably be exhausted but at least you will know the true price to pay for all the haggling.
If you have the budget for it, you can also spend a day when you don't haggle at all. Before I left, I kept hearing these stories suggesting that the shopkeepers would be insulted if I didn't haggle over the price. What a load of hooey! They all seemed more than happy to take all the money I would offer so, don't believe that crap. I have to admit that I didn't mind paying full price or close to full price for the food I bought at fruit stands and such. I guess living so close to the farmers in the hills gave me a better appreciation of how hard they work and how little they would appreciate an encounter with my inner idiot.
Why not try haggling up once in awhile just for fun. When the store owner quotes Rs.100, tell him you will pay Rs.200 and not a rupee less. If he doesn't like it, threaten to take your business somewhere else. E-mail me and tell me about the reactions you get.
Finally, a note on begging and beggars. Sometimes, beggars can become a little overwhelming but I guarantee, you will see lots of them. For all too many people in India, begging is the family profession. You will be approached almost everywhere. One little experience I had with a beggar changed my life, at least a little bit. There was a beggar in Kalimpong who achieved a degree of celebrity with me. I used to refer to him as Bilbo. Due to the high rate of dwarfism in the hills, he was quite short in stature. I also happened to be reading "Lord of the Rings" at the time and he helped me visualize the character. I had given him some money on various occasions and I decided to follow him for awhile one day. When he finally settled down to eat in front of the store that would be his resting place for the night, I noticed a ferrell dog that immediately came to join him. I was astounded to see this man who had so little in this world, share the only food he had with his friend, the dog.
It took a few more days before I realized what was going on. The beggar always returned to that shop at night and was paid in rice for watching over the premises at night. Part of his wages were shared with the dog who protected the man from passersby, as well as other dogs. Each played a small but significant role in the life of that town. I don't know anyone who could afford to give money to all the needy people in India--there are so many, but I made sure to go out of my way to give to this man because I think he is surely a far better person than I will ever be.
It would be easy to become overwhelmed by the spectacle of India's hustle and bustle. With all the new sights, sounds and smells, you may not take the time to notice the little things happening around you. That would be sad because this is quite often where the really amazing stuff is going on.
