Why Indians bargain with no apologies

Most people have this notion that Indians are rich. Well, just because we are known to be brains behind some of the big companies, does not mean we have piles of cash in our accounts.

 Nonetheless, despite this partial reality, Indians have this inborn ability to bargain.

Trust me, a difference of 50 bob can make any Indian lose his or her ‘sanity’.

 We always assume the seller is out to exploit us, especially, because we are not very good in Kiswahili.

We will insist on getting half price and not shy away from haggling until the seller agrees. Ridiculous as it may sound, most Indians are frugal spenders. Sometimes, I assume we were born to be economists, you know, account for every penny that is spent.

Personally, I have mastered this art. Thank goodness for my fluent Kiswahili, this makes it easier to communicate with hawkers. Yes, I do buy stuff from them. I am very confident and will only walk away when I am convinced I have the best deal.

I think Nai hawkers deserve an ‘innovation language’ award. I mean, these guys can tell you how another customer was giving them double the money but they refused. They will claim how their ware is hot cakes and woe unto you if you don’t make up your mind fast. They have this business language to make any hard soul loosen the purse strings.

I love shoes and can spend a fortune on them. When I first came to the city, I was really impressed by how the town had variety, selling for a quite reasonable amount. I mean, with Sh500, you could get a nice pair of stilettos.

So this day, I decided to try a shop in downtown, which had these pretty shoes.

The lady seller was really welcoming and patient as I tried almost all pairs in the shop. Finally, I settled on one pair, which was going for Sh1,600. There was no way I was paying her that amount!

With my bargaining prowess, I convinced her I only had Sh1,000. After much haggling, she agreed to settle for Sh1,000.

 Sensing my rather unsatisfied look, she asked if I could get another pair for the same price. How could I say no? I quickly thanked her and was really impressed that I had landed such a good deal.

Little did I know I had been conned. I walked into another shop only to find the exact pair of shoes going for Sh500! We all know Nai’s stalls have this motto ‘goods once sold cannot be returned’. I was so pissed off!