Negotiation

Negotiation is an art form, and never has it been so much required as with shopping in Thailand. Bare in mind that there are two types of shops in Thailand: first is your standard corporate franchise, which wants nothing to do with your tactics; second is the more traditional Thai open and semi-open market shop, in which negotiation is a vital part of your shopping skill set, unless you like being ripped off.

The basic idea is that the shop will hit you with a rather high opening price and it's your job to bring it down. Originally this was a bit of an issue for me, as I didn't know what was a reasonable price to offer, but I discovered very quickly that if you give a price that's too low, they will let you walk away. Pricing is also based on the rule that if one shop asks for 300bat as an opening offer and the next asks for 150bat, you know the real price is somewhere around 50bat.

And don't forget to be tough. These people will try to be your friends but all they want to do is rip you off. Even at a price that seems low to you, they are making a profit, so don't worry if they complain.

While in Koh Samui, I was able to watch a master in action. He usually starts off by laughing at the opening price and giving his own offer of around half the original opening price. This is followed by the usually bargaining and some lines I wouldn't have thought of, including: this price is good for me and good for you; he's a nice guy; it's my first time in Thailand/Koh Samui; today's my birthday (which was actually the truth for Doug and he used this a lot on that day); he's got a nice face, c'mon; etc..

The master pushed, joked, laughed, pulled, bargained and got every price he wanted, while having no doubt that the shop staff was making a profit but not ripping him off. The one rule he kept in mind was that any clothing or shoes you buy in Thailand will last about 6-8 months, based on usage, and therefore, isn't worth paying so much for. This is already evident by the Diesel shorts I bought which I wore twice and are mysteriously starting to turn green, they were originally black.

Wisdom of the Day: What's good for you might not be good for me