For centuries, travelers have been motivated to bring back something tangible and unique from the exotic ports and bazaars of the world. Marco Polo brought back pasta and gunpowder from the courts of ancient China, and these items shaped the course of Italian cuisine and the development of weapons and warfare. What the traveler purchases today is more often for personal pleasure, the desire to have a memento to remind him of his journey.
As world travelers and sometimes foreign residents, we are inveterate shoppers. The limitations of our budget do not allow us to indulge ourselves in Russian sable or South African diamonds, but we do frequent the bazaars, markets, shops, and department stores of the world to seek those inexpensive items which reflect the culture and flavor of each country or region. Our house is a veritable museum of artifacts that we have collected over the years. We have carpets from Iran and Pakistan, wood carvings from Africa, scrolls from China, and brass and copper from the Middle East. We have found the world to be a giant bargain basement for those who know what to look for and how to buy.
Obviously, we enjoy the process of shopping as much or more than the actual acquisition of things. For us, it is a form of recreation, a psychological game of bargaining and maneuvering with merchants and shopkeepers. Some travelers don't like to haggle, so they always pay the asking price. But in many countries this bargaining process is expected, and is part of the free-enterprise system which flourishes in the free world. It has been our experience that most merchants enjoy the game as much as we do. Naturally, some countries have a tradition of fixed prices. One does not go into Galleries LaFayette in Paris and bargain for a bottle of Chanel No.5.
We recall an incident in a curio shop on Cat Street in Hong Kong. Our eyes had fallen on an ancient abacus, worn smooth over the years, which the shopkeeper used to compute his transactions. The venerable merchant had a wispy gray beard and wore a silk Mandarin cap with a red tassel. He was intent on selling us a small jade Buddha from mainland China that was very beautiful.
"Ah, most honorable sir and madame, this exquisite piece came from our family estate in Canton and is being sold at great sacrifice. I can let you have it for only 1,000 Hong Kong dollars."
"We agree that it is very nice, but unfortunately, this is our last day in Hong Kong, and we only have 600 Hong Kong dollars left." We spread the currency out on the counter to demonstrate our financial plight. "Sell us the Buddha for 600 dollars, throw in this worn abacus, and you have a deal."
The old gentleman rolled his eyes in a pretense of fiscal agony. "My ancestors would haunt me for such an imprudent transaction. Surely, you have American dollars. Give me an additionals 10 U.S.-dollars, and I will wrap up the two items." After a strategic hesitation, we nodded our agreement, well satisfied at paying the equivalent of 70 U.S. dollars for two items that we liked and certain that the merchant had actually received more than he expected. He might have even replaced the old abacus with a new Japanese calculator with his profits.
The international shopper needs to know where to shop
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