Here's to Bazaar Bargaining!

Anyone who's ever been to Pakistan and stumbled across the damp, uneven grounds of a bargain bazaar will know never to pay the price that the shopkeeper first throws out of his mouth. Of course, to avoid scandalized looks from the faces of the customers as well as run the risk of their hasty departure, he wouldn't dare just SAY something like,

"The price of this shirt is 1500 rupees,"

No. There will be much flourishing of the hanger, twirling of the shirt to reveal 360 degrees the extent of it's uniqueness, much caressing of the fabric to show the top-notch quality of the "hand-woven" garment, and much insistence that the price is already a special "discount" just for the lucky lady or "baji", they claim, while enticingly making the the cloth perform a series of spectacular, rippling air gymnastics.

Foreginers are easy prey to catch when using this special technique. If you're quick, you might catch the smirk or contended smile creeping on the sides of his mouth as he folds your over-priced purchase and knots it into a polythene bag. 

Of course, nothing, and I mean, nothing, can deter certain segments of the civilian population. These specimens occasionally include burqa-clad women and the not-to-be-messed-with stern old ladies, under whose stern fixed glare, even the ever-confident shopkeeper falters while delivering his speech.

The fact of the matter is, Karachi is, officially, no joke, the cheapest city in the world. Many don't know this. And those foreigners who do, are always never sure HOW cheap exactly it is. This power of estimation comes from years of experience, a well-trained eye, and a good half hour spent sweating in the sun trying to reduce the price of the item by twenty rupees. Sometimes it's just not about the price itself. It's the principle of the thing.

So here's my solemn advice to you, future-to-be-fleeced-foreigners, when buying anything from one of our unique markets, dismiss the keeper's warranty speech with a flourish of your hand, quote half the price he's offering, and go from there. Or bring along the choicest bargaining weapon you can get:

An good old-fashioned Pakistani Aunty. Bargaining? They know how to do it. 


Happy Haggling!