Barter like a Berber: An newly optimistic view on hagglers

At one point in time, I dreaded going anywhere that involved bartering. Firstly because I hated bartering: it involved manipulation, which I knew I could be really good at, and thus felt guilty and didn’t want to condone anything that encouraged that side of me. Secondly, because I hated hagglers, hated being bothered and didn’t like the idea of having to associate with people who were there to deceive and take advantage of me.

But then I sort of realized it’s just how things are. By going someplace where things are sold, you are signaling possible interest in buying things. The seller is there to sell things and thus reads that signal. It’s their job to bother you; it’s not personal, it’s business. And while they may be people doing their job, they are people. People with lives and wives and kids and stories and problems and thoughts and feelings.

So rather than avoiding the bartering that I previously saw; one where the seller is trying to rob you and you are trying to rob the seller, I came to see bartering as more of a way of negotiating to reach an agreement that makes both parties happy. Diplomacy at its finest. And in a way, it’s an interesting art form, it involves language, stance, tone of voice, body language, eye contact: it’s a dance. In Uganda a lot of it involves intimidation; cross your arms, keep your voice steady, step away when you don’t like a price, stare them down. Morocco is similar but seems to involve less intimidation (they aren’t scared of white people here, obviously) and more friendliness. Let them talk for a bit, get to know them, smile, laugh, show interest in their lives and their craft. Get to know the person behind the dirhams. They’ll ask you to sit down, show you the things they made that they are proud of, tell you about everyone they ever met from the states, and how much they like Obama. I suppose this leaves room for concern that they’ll expect a sale or ask for a higher price because you took so much of their time. But surprisingly, I didn’t find this to be the case. In one day in the Fes medina alone, I was offered tea three times, was given a free trinket, walked away from several sales, and got prices I was ok with. Sure they weren’t the lowest prices known to mankind but if I wasn’t comfortable with the price, I wouldn’t have bought it, that’s the point of bartering.

Another thing I realized was conversation makes a great distraction if you need to weasel out of a situation. I was taking pictures of some hanging blankets and the owner came up to me saying he expected a few dirhams for the pictures. As I started explaining I had asked permission from someone else he was so shocked by my French he started asking questions; are you French? American! That’s so good you know French! (I had a lot of shopkeepers actually THANK me for speaking French, some seemed exasperated at all the English speaking Americans walking around) What state are you from? What’s the weather like there? Do you like it here? It’s such a beautiful land, is it not? Why are you here? Are you studying Arabic? How long are you here for? And before you know it, I was walking away, being wished good luck, all my dirhams still safely tucked away. Just one of several similar instances.

Overall: lesson learned, shopkeepers are people too, treat them as such and it could be immensely rewarding, not only for your pocket book but also for having a positive and enriching experience.