(Scene: early one morning in the Armenian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. I walk past a shopkeeper ["SK"] selling metal trinkets. *Note: 1 U.S. dollar = 3.5 Israeli shekels)
SK: Hey… hey! Come in here (motioning inside the shop), let me show you something.
Me: (With slight hesitation) okay.
SK: Everything in the shop today is 50% off.
Me: Wow, great.
SK: (pointing to a silver-plated goblet) See this cup? I’ll give it to you for a good price. Which one would you like? The one with the grapevine on it? Or this one with the city of Jerusalem design?
Me: I’m not sure.
SK: (handing the cup to me, and cleverly positioning himself between me and the entrance to the TINY hole-in-the-wall shop) Here, take it, hold it. You want this one?
Me: I really don’t know yet.
SK: Are you a student?
Me: Yes.
SK: You look like a student. Where are you from?
Me: Canada.
SK: Ah, Canada… my cousin lives in Montreal.
Me: That’s great.
SK: Here, you look like a nice person, I’ll give you a good price. Regular price 700 shekels–I’ll give it to you for three hundred. Shall I wrap it up for you?
Me: Uh… wait, no. I’m not sure I want it. (I hand the cup back to SK.)
SK: 300 is too much? Name your price. What are you willing to pay?
Me: (contemplating whether I would want it even if he offered it to me for free) I really don’t know.
SK: This is a good price. I just want to start my day, open my cash register. (*Note: This is a common thing… shopkeepers will want to start the day or the week off with a quick sale for good luck.)
Me: Well, I’m not sure if THAT CUP is what I want. Let me look around and see what else you have.
SK: Sure, you can look around.
Me: (Glancing at the hundreds of pieces of random stuff in the shop) Hmm…
SK: (pointing back at the cup) Here, I’ll sell it to you for 250 shekels.
Me: Um, no.
SK: This is a good price. You look like a nice person. This is a nice cup. Don’t you like it?
Me: I’m just not sure I want it.
SK: What price are you willing to pay? How about 200 shekels? It’s silver.
Me: No.
SK: You from Canada? Where are you from ORIGINALLY? China? Japan?
Me: Hong Kong.
SK: Ah, Hong Kong. Here, 200 shekels, I’ll sell it to you. I just want to start my day.
Me: I understand, but I’m not sure I want this cup. Let me look elsewhere in the shop.
SK: You look like a businessman. I tell you what–150 shekels. This is a great price. Price I give to family and close friends only.
Me: (stalling, trying to find an opportunity to leave) No, I don’t know if I want it. It’s too big. (After all, I would have to stuff it back in my already-full luggage.)
SK: It’s not too big… many other ones much bigger. Come on, one fifty. I just want to start my week. Quickly, I have to go pray soon; if you want it, take it… if not, fine.
Me: (Calling his bluff) Well, if you have to go pray, then I won’t waste any more of your time. Goodbye…
SK: Ok, ok, wait. 120 shekels, final price.
Me: (trying to leave) I don’t think I want it, thanks anyway.
SK: (blocking me) What do you want me to do? I give you a good price. You keep smiling. Just tell me what price you pay.
Me: I don’t want it. I’m a student, I don’t have much money.
SK: Yes, but keep smiling, keep smiling. 120 shekels is not too much.
Me: Well, it’s a lot of money… I’m a student, I still have many days in Jerusalem.
SK: Why won’t you help me. 120 shekels, I start my day, you get the cup. (Showing me the cup again) Here, look at it.
(This goes on for another five minutes; I look around the shop blankly, stalling, while he blocks my way out.)
SK: Ok, I tell you what–one hundred shekels. This is final price. I don’t know what you want. I just want to start my day.
Me: I understand, but I don’t want it.
SK: One hundred shekels, no better price anywhere.
Me: No, sorry, I have to go.
SK: 90? 80 shekels? (Seeing that I’m forcing my way out) Ah, yallah… get lost!
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My reflections on this experience:
1) Never pay more than ~10-15% of the “regular” price for a souvenir in the Old City.
2) I might actually have bought something if he’d just let me look around his shop.
3) When it comes to bargaining, we Chinese can always hold our own.
3 Comments
haHA! ah, yallah!
what a great read! so exciting. the whole time I’m rooting for you to get the lowest, most ridiculous price thrown at you, whilst internally shouting, “don’t do it Joey! NOoooooo.” great satisfying ending. phew. u can’t mess with the Chinese bargaining genes. foo..
I’m convinced that, had I really wanted the cup, I could have pressed him down to at least 50 shekels, maybe less.