Subject: So you think you got a bargain?
The following is the beginning of the chapter on bargaining from "Take the High Road - A Primer for the Independent Traveler" (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00V...).

Jeff

Most Americans and Europeans are uncomfortable with bargaining and only take a stab at it when buying a house or a car. They feel awkward, especially in “third-world” countries as they feel like the seller needs the money more than they do. While that might, in fact be accurate, there is a protocol involved which is mandatory and by avoiding it you both belittle the seller as well as encourage future predatory practices when they next meet someone who come from the culture you do. The following dialog might, or might not be, slightly tongue-in-cheek:

A typical Middle Eastern bargaining dialogue as presented in Middle Eastern Cookery by Arto der Haroutunian (Published 2010 by Grub Street, London):
One day my maternal uncle took me with him to the shop of a friend of his in the Dora district of Beirut. After the initial greetings the shop owner and my uncle entered into the second phase—that of bargaining.

‘How much are the cucumbers?’
‘For you, 50 piasters.’
‘Why for me?’
‘You are a friend.’
‘Cut that out. How much?’
‘Alright then 45.’
‘25.’
‘No way.’
‘Come on man, what do you take me for?’
‘A good friend.’
‘That’s what you charge a good friend!’
‘Be reasonable. It cost me 40 piasters to produce the stuff. I only use the tenderest, smallest cucumbers which, as you well know I personally select and, as you damn well know, I go all the way up the Bakka valley …
‘Give me a handkerchief, I cannot control myself.’
‘Be reasonable. I have to make a living, what with four growing children and a fifth (blessed be the Lord) on the way, my in-laws, her brother, cousins and me the only one with honorable work, and you …
‘We all have our problems, that is no excuse. 35 piasters is too high.’
‘I did not say 35. I said 45, are you deaf or something?’
‘45? I thought you said 35, and I was upset. So it is 45 eh!’
‘You do not have to buy you know.’
‘You are damn right. Your’s isn’t the only shop.’
My uncle grabbed my hand and we tried to leave.
‘Now hold on, what’s the matter, we are old friends. Now come back!’
We returned.
‘Taste this, feel the flavor, look how delicious it is. Here little one, you try it.’
I did.
‘You like it?’ he asked me.
I nodded my head.
‘You see, even a child knows how delicious my torshi is.’
‘What do you expect from children.’
‘Be reasonable friend. Life is getting more and more expensive each day. A man has to make a living. Here, I’ll throw in a bottle of rosewater.’
‘25.’
‘40.’
‘30.’
‘35.’
‘Done.’
‘Good!’
‘Give me 10 kilos and 5 peppers and 5 cauliflowers.’
‘Fine, fine. It is always good to do business with a friend who appreciates
quality and flavor.’
We left laden with jars of pickles, hailed a horse-drawn cart and went home.
My uncle content with himself, his friend content with his lot. Overall, it had been a successful day. The ritual of buying and selling had been performed to perfection.

Many small businesses in Europe and the Middle East take a “siesta” and close between 1PM-3PM or 2PM-4PM, so it is important to check if the shop you are going to will be closed for part of the afternoon. Banks abroad can also have unusual hours and you should verify these if paying a visit to one.

If the price tags in a shop are conveniently posted in US dollars, you are likely in a tourist clip joint that will overcharge you significantly - and likely rebate a chunk of that overage to whoever brought you to the shop as a commission. Tour guides, cab and tuk-tuk drivers, street touts and the like make a good part of their income by being your best friend and bringing you to the “special shops that the locals buy at” or the “factory where these items are made by hand by “skilled craftsmen”, so pay attention to what’s going on. Even if all they did was dropping you off at a market, you’ll sometimes find drivers lurking as you bargain in an attempt to insist on a commission (at your expense). Chase them away and make it clear to the shopkeeper that they had nothing to do with bringing you to the shop (but it may already be too late).