Naveen’s Travel Blog

Art of Bargaining

Bargaining is an ART !

Well, with its subtle intentions, negotiation tactics and bodily gestures, its indeed an art!!

Presumably all Indians consider that anything and everything is bargainable. Its so widespread in our daily life. And i’m no exception to this social knowledge.

Frankly i detest all this haggling affair and prefer fixed prices, where one can make a quick definite choice of: yes - affordable, no - too expensive. All that i wanted was a fair price! But what can one do in a place where bargaining is a way of life and prices are quoted in double, triple or even several multiples!? You have no choice except to pull up your sleeves and join the adventure for a mad bargain!!

Tagged with a tourist label of “Backpacker” brand, it even grows more stronger within me as if it was a privilege bestowed upon us.

The first bargain of the trip began on the very first day near the Golden Mount temple, Bangkok. I had finished for the day and wanted a ride upto Hua Lamphong Metro station. Plenty of Tuk-tuk drivers were hawking for their rides outside the compound. As a thumbrule, its better to avoid taking the vehicle in such places as you would never get a good bargain. Instead i walked a few yards away and waved down a tuk-tuk riding empty from the middle of the road.

Conscious to make my first attempt into a success, i struck the negotiation with confident gesture, no words were spoken. I held my map to his face and pointed to the Metro station which was written in both English and Thai. The tuk-tuk driver observed and nodded saying, 80 baht. Faking the tone of someone who knows these places well, i quickly dismissed his claim and countered, “40 bahts” with an air of authority. The fellow looked down at me, reasoning how i dared to guess like that and then took the trap… Assuming that i’m no stranger to Bangkok, he climbed down to “50 bahts”. Reassured that my quote was good enough, i stood at my offer of 40 baht. The fellow waved me in and the deal was done in my favour. On reaching the destination, i was able to measure that for the distance, my notion of the price was indeed correct and my first bargain was done at a really reasonable price!

Its always not a cakewalk like this. Sometimes i would slip just by the fatigue of it.

Disappointments could happen: when the bargain fails - you fail to buy/get what you wanted OR when the bargain turns sour - you had paid more.

The strangest was when the seller negotiates to under-price himself….!

One such episode happened when a taxi driver UNDER-negotiated himself leaving me rather puzzled, worse guilty!! I was vacating Bangkok to the next city - Ayutthaya and my hotel had hired a cab to drop me in the railway station. The standard fare was 200 baht. During the ride, as any Bangkok cab driver would be, the chap started his sales tactics. I wanted nothing from him and showed no interest. Suddenly he shifted to offer me to drive directly to Ayutthaya. I felt, What a stupid idea to travel by cab from one city to another, anyway it would be very expensive. But why was he so desperate. He continued quoting and reducing the price, all by himself. My silence which was intended to discourage him rather encouraged his bargain. As i gaped at him, he had negotiated himself from 1000 baht to 700 baht. I considered my situation: quite late for the day and uncertain of the availability of trains. So why not take such a good bargain served without any effort to laze in the comforts of the air-conditioned taxi to be dropped at the footsteps of my next hotel in the next city. After making sure with him, i agreed.

In the next 1hr 30min, we escaped out of Bangkok and travelled the 70+ kilometers to Ayutthaya. No sooner that we had reached the destination, the taxi driver seems to have realised his folly. As i paid him, he gleefully asked for a “Tip”. In my hurry to check-in against the waiting walk-ins, i didn’t notice his disappointment and dismissed him in monotone: What? tip? why? no tip? Only when my luggage was dropped with a distinct “thud” and he closed the door, i observed his face. He wasn’t a happy man. And it was too late to correct.

Sometimes a well-agreed bargain, could nose-dive and land in soup…!

One early morning in the Thai border town of Nong Khai, i had to take a quick trip around a few Buddhist Wats before checking out of the guesthouse. And the only vehicle that i could find was a kind of Bike adapted into a sort of a mini-pickup truck. The driver, a well-built lady wrapped-up her road-side food stall and took on the reins of her unconventional vehicle. The deal was to drive me around to 2 main Buddhist Wats in the town. After a quite intense negotiation, it was agreed for 60 bahts.

As soon as i got down at the last Wat which was actually a Forest Wat at the outskirts of the town, she declared that it will be 100 bahts to return back. Surprised, i embarked on a bit of argument which made clear that somehow both of us didn’t clarify whether its a one-way trip or it includes the return journey. In my assumption, it included the whole trip and in her assumption it was only for the drop. However it is…, her demand for another 100 baht was unjustified. Even a kid would know that it would cost only another 60 baht. What makes the return journey more special to cost an extra 40 bahts. Clearly she was trying to take me for a ride. And from this lonely forest wat, she was sure that i wouldn’t find any other alternate means at this early hour. More than the money, i was just taken aback by the blunt threat of desertion laid before me. Nevertheless, i was in no mood to get victimised. I firmly asserted with her that it is completely unfair and i will not pay anything. Either she takes me back to the guesthouse and get paid of 120 bahts for the misunderstood bargain or go to hell with her weird-looking vehicle. My tough argument won and she opted for the latter.

The most relentless and marathon bargaining of the trip was reserved for the final shopping! Having missed the week-end Chatu Chak market, i was forced to do all the shopping in the expensive Suan Lum night market in Bangkok.

Odd of all, a lengthy bargain was narrowly concluded but the product wasn’t available for sale…!

In the maze of shops of Suan Lum market, i was struck with awe at a specific kind of lighting fixture which could be easily assembled into any shape by arranging several little pieces of plastic strips. Since i wanted a massive lighting fixture which meant purchase of several packages of such strips, both the shop owner and myself indulged in lengthly discourses of negotiation. At one moment, the negotiation broke down and i walked away. But lady luck didn’t give up, by some accident i took the same lane after some time and found myself enquiring at the same shop for the same stuff. When the owner turned back, we smiled and were happy to restart the negotiation afresh. Finally when we had agreed quite closely on a figure, the relieved owner ordered to pack them all.

A moment later, his assistant came and told in hesitant tones that the strips of white, my chosen color were not in sufficient stock. The owner regretfully offered the colored ones and at even a lesser price than the hard negotiated one. But it was all over for me! I was impressed only by the brilliance of the clear white streams of light. No yellow, no green, no red, no blue could replace that impression. Stupid luck!!

Bargaining was all consuming that one doesn’t realise that the deal had been struck already…!

Only after my extensive shopping did i realise that i didn’t have any suitable bag to carry the extra load back home. It was 1AM in the night market and most shops were closing down. I had no specifics, no time, no budget, any square piece of container will do.

In great hurry, i was asking the prices of every suitcase in a shop to find the right one. The young owner anxious to make a last sale, sametime in good mood to negotiate was blabbering away the features of each one and why its good, strong etc etc. I didn’t want any of those stories and persuasion. Finally finding the right one at right price, i declared to him that i’m taking it. Without applying thought, the boy continued affirming that its a good price. Why not? Ofcourse, i said yes. But he continued again saying he cannot give any lesser. Who wanted it for lesser? I’m ok to pay what you want. It continued like that and if had gone any longer, i would have concluded that his mind has gone astray. Thankfully he checked himself at a point, let his mind chew on what i had been saying and asked me if i meant ok. I nodded frantically my yeses! Then he let out a laugh signaling the end of the comedy. And the last sale of the last bargain was done…