caroline_edinburgh

Check the guy's previous posts.

missypie

Let me ask this question: Is there any place in the world where it is customary to bargain on price, in a store that has a door and four walls (e.g. not on open market)that is not an antique/resale store?

audere_est_facere

Yes - just go to Tottenham Court Rd (to take one example). They will negotiate on price happily - and almost expect you to do so.

Also any shop that sells musical instruments will (in my experience) be happy to listen to offers.

And certainly in London shops in places like Southall have brought the haggling culture with them.

quokka

mr_go, you forgot chewing gum in addition to nylons and chocolate. Cigarettes are out of fashion, now that the new anti-smoking laws are coming up everywhere.

michelleNYC

"In Europe you can barter with seashells, blankets, chickens and shiny things."

Troll! Everyone knows it's nylon hose and chocolates. I saw it on Hogan's Heroes once.


Oh my gosh... I'm eating lunch and just choked... very funny....

Now, here's the real question. If I need to bring chickens in order to bargain, should I bring them on the plane (weight limit please?) or put them in cargo (can I put them in a cat carrier, for instance? Now... about the blankets, shiny things, nylons and chocolates -- how am I going to fit them in my 22"er?

missypie

Yeah, I guess we in the US know that it is customary to bargain for cars. I wouldn't know if that is customary world wide or not.

Nikki

Missypie, in furniture stores I have found the sales people are frequently expecting to bargain in the US.

suze

<Is above statement correct, please?>

No

willit

michelleNYC - you need to know that the current Exchange rates mean that your US Chickens - eg 3 Rhode Island Reds are only worth about 2 Eurochickens.

willit

"ALSO try : "Vroom with a view" - driving round Italian on a 1960s Vespa and "The Miracle of Castel Di Sangro"

markrosy - we obviously have similar tastes in books as I loved both of these (and the Dark heart of Italy)- in fact the former book was probably the main reason I visited Lucca.

I also very much enjoyed Tim Park's "A season with Verona" - another great mix of everyday Italian life/politics and football culture.

hopscotch

I can't believe what I am reading on this thread from experienced European travelers.

Nearly everything is negotiable in Europe. Off-hand exceptions would be transport tickets, e.g. trains, planes, and trams.

Every hotel (except one I met in Germany last year) is negotiable. Boy, did that make me mad.

You have to ask for the discount. But don't say "Is that your best price?" Just say "That is too much." Let them start the negotiations. If the price is on the item ask "Is it REALLY that expensive?" Offering to buy 2 or 3 of the widget normally gives you an immediate reduction.

In Turkey don't even think of paying more than half price.

Retail "mark-up" is about 100%. In other words, the retailer pays about 50% of asking list price for items in the store. Luxury goods have a higher "mark-up." If you can't get a 25% discount the merchant is not a merchant.

WillTravel

Two articles about bargaining for hotel rates in Europe:
http://tinyurl.com/2mgdvz
http://tinyurl.com/3cgyrb

Angela_m

I don't see why most people are "apalled" by the idea of bargaining in Europe. Have you not ever been offered a better rate at a hotel if you paid in cash? We have been offered a reduction for cash so many times -- at various types of retailers -- that I would not buy anything without asking first if there is a discount for cash. I bought a rather expensive ring in Taormina, Sicily and got a substantial discount, which by the way covered the VAT tax I could have recouped and they were actually willing to give another discount for US dollars.

hopscotch

Thanks WillTravel for the links. Arthur Frommer is The Travel Master. I learned from his book 30 years ago.

smartcookie

wow. this thread is hilarious. thanks for the entertainment

Common sense should tell you that anyone who takes credit cards is paying 2-5% fee on the transaction to the credit card company, so that means they're getting less for their product. Europe is not the moon and besides the fact that you can't really ask questions assuming that all countries in Europe are one and the same, these things are exactly the same as in the US. These are not third-world countries. And if they were, they wouldn't take credit cards in most places anyway, so it wouldn't be an issue.

markrosy

willit - I got into these books after reading one to many " I'm a failed city banker who has bought a pile in Tuscany and can't organise the builders with hilarious consequences" type books - 90% of them a sheer garbage.

Thanks for ther tip - I'll try Tim Park's book.

I would one day like to experience life in Italy - we've been many times for 1 or 2 weeks but you only ever scrape the surface.

BTW - back to the point - I have travelled Europe since I was 4 months old - generally 3 or 4 times a year - This isn't the United States of Europe - the cultures are very very different and I think this is what the "experienced travellers" are trying to express - Turkey, Italy -yes - Northern Europe - only in very specific circumstances otherwise you are simply making a fool of yourself -

In Italy my dog had to have a minor operation - the vet offered me a cash discount.

We rented a car last August in Sardinia - the car hire copmany tried to charge me as much for the car seat as the hire of the car - I told the saleman what to do with his car seat -he replied - "Ok give my 20 euros cash and you can have a discount - the cash wnet straight in his pocket.

Italians make rule simply as a muse to find ways of breaking them!

I could go on all night but it would probably bore you all !

markrosy

BTW - "everything is negotiable in Europe"

travel with that approach and you will probably have as much fun as I would travelling the States telling all the restaurant staff that it was not my culture to tip.

GSteed

Try thinking this way: What is a sale? It is a discount from a posted price. The original price was more than customers would pay. Why bargain? Maybe the posted price is unrealistic....bargain now or wait for the sale?

hopscotch

<i>travel with that approach and you will probably have as much fun as I would travelling the States telling all the restaurant staff that it was not my culture to tip.</i>

I tip generously for good personal service, even in Europe. However I do find it fun and profitable to negotiate. It is especially profitable at overpriced corporate hotels.