We were just in the Dubai "souk", which is a market. I don't think I can really compare it to anything back home. Well, imagine this - you're walking through Woodgrove, and this guy comes out of his shop and starts rattling off a list of his wares at you. Tell him you don't want anything. You walk on, with him still rattling his pitch at you, and start looking at some sunglasses out by
They take selling pretty seriously here, you see.
There's no pricetags, people just use calculators to punch in their starting offer.
Then you say no, no, I think I will look down the street in another shop, this price is not impressive (take your pick). They take back the calculator, punch in another price, etc, etc.
I saw this shirt outside a shop, which I'll talk about later, and I poked my head in to check how much it was. The guy says "Thirty-murmur-which-I-couldn't-make-out". I said "Thirty?", because I wasn't sure. He said "Thirty-murmur."
I said "Thirty?" He said "Okay, okay, thirty." Then I realised he'd been saying "Thirty-five". I said I'd come back, and later haggled down to 25. This is all in durhams, by the by. 3.3 dirhams to the dollar. Stuff is pretty good here.
The most original hawker: This guy who just stood out on the sidewalk and made eye contact with people, and then flickered his eyes towards the direction of the shop. It almost made me want to look, only he'd start his pitch and we'd never hear the end of it.
Scariest hawker: This midget with a tray of bottled water who walked up to Ryan and started shrieking up at him "ONEREAYNOEOREYMAONEREY" We figured out after we scooted that he was saying "One dirham, one dirham" but jesus.
Besides that, we ran into about 5-10 people wanting to sell us watches. They don't say anything to you, just face the air and say "Rolex Swatch you are wanting
good fake watch, come with me, Gucci all good watch." I told one that I had a watch already, and showed him the ten-dollar blue leather one I got in Montreal. He smirked and pointed to a fake Rolex on his wrist.
Just as we were getting a taxi, another one tried to sell us a watch, and I asked him
"Do you want to buy my watch?"
"No, sir thank you."
"I didn't think so."
It might actually work again.
Yes, sir, shopping is a lot more exhilarating than back home. Also a bit harder -
if you step into a shop, you're sort of expected to get your buy on, right away, and
if you ask the price you're really asking him "What do you want to start selling
this to me at?"
Anyways, I'll tell you about Switzerland soon.
-Bashu
the front door of another shop. The shop guy tells you, 25! Then you start to walk away, and he says "Nonono, 20!" As you're leaving, he shouts "Come back! 15, sir!"
They take selling pretty seriously here, you see.
There's no pricetags, people just use calculators to punch in their starting offer.
Then you say no, no, I think I will look down the street in another shop, this price is not impressive (take your pick). They take back the calculator, punch in another price, etc, etc.
I saw this shirt outside a shop, which I'll talk about later, and I poked my head in to check how much it was. The guy says "Thirty-murmur-which-I-couldn't-make-out". I said "Thirty?", because I wasn't sure. He said "Thirty-murmur."
I said "Thirty?" He said "Okay, okay, thirty." Then I realised he'd been saying "Thirty-five". I said I'd come back, and later haggled down to 25. This is all in durhams, by the by. 3.3 dirhams to the dollar. Stuff is pretty good here.
The most original hawker: This guy who just stood out on the sidewalk and made eye contact with people, and then flickered his eyes towards the direction of the shop. It almost made me want to look, only he'd start his pitch and we'd never hear the end of it.
Scariest hawker: This midget with a tray of bottled water who walked up to Ryan and started shrieking up at him "ONEREAYNOEOREYMAONEREY" We figured out after we scooted that he was saying "One dirham, one dirham" but jesus.
Besides that, we ran into about 5-10 people wanting to sell us watches. They don't say anything to you, just face the air and say "Rolex Swatch you are wanting
good fake watch, come with me, Gucci all good watch." I told one that I had a watch already, and showed him the ten-dollar blue leather one I got in Montreal. He smirked and pointed to a fake Rolex on his wrist.
Just as we were getting a taxi, another one tried to sell us a watch, and I asked him
"Do you want to buy my watch?"
"No, sir thank you."
"I didn't think so."
It might actually work again.
Yes, sir, shopping is a lot more exhilarating than back home. Also a bit harder -
if you step into a shop, you're sort of expected to get your buy on, right away, and
if you ask the price you're really asking him "What do you want to start selling
this to me at?"
Anyways, I'll tell you about Switzerland soon.
-Bashu
