I hope everyone is enjoying the new year and that our local expat community is making the most of the current high season.
Am in a chatty mood, so I thought I'd address something that's been coming up in conversations a lot lately, both on and off this board: local's pricing.
My own opinion is that locals pricing should be just that -- pricing for locals. While I can certainly understand that no one wants to pay more than they have to, I thing a bit of clarification is in order.
First up, please bear in mind that the minimum wage in this country is a mere RD$4,970 or US$150) per month. Granted, most people make more than the minimum wage, but it should give you an idea of comparative salaries. One makes significantly less working here than one would for a comparable job in North America or Europe.
Also, the cost of living (at least in the tourist destinations) is not significantly lower than 'back home' (depending of course on where you're from). Taken into account the cost of living as a percentage of wages earned, your disposable income is significantly less than it would be were you to live, earn and spend in say Montreal.
This is not to bemoan the fate of us poor expats -- quality of life is a heck of a compensation for foregone revenues, but just to say that a $50 night out costs us (in comparative terms) a significantly higher portion of our disposable income than it does any tourist.
Take into account as well that the average expat makes by far more than the average Dominican in tourist areas. (for clarification: I obviously include Dominicans in the 'locals' category.)
Another point to consider is that, while a tourist will come to your restaurant/bar/shop/place of business a couple of times per trip at best, a local can and will come every weekend for a year -- 52 visits vs 2 or 3. Likewise, a well-pleased local will recommend your place to other locals, thus exponentially increasing your business, whereas a tourist will mention it to his friends when he gets home, sure, but how many of them will come down and visit, and how often?
Yet another point: A resident is generally a resident year-round and will therefore keep you in business not only during the high season, but also during the low season -- when you REALLY need the help.
With all of these factors to consider, it's no wonder there are local's discounts. When I was in Rio de Janiero, I knew I wasn't getting the local's price on the things that I bought, but guess what? I didn't expect to.
If you're a tourist, we're glad to have you and glad to have your business. Generally we'll go out of our way to make sure you have a great stay and go home happy. But please don't feel you're getting 'ripped off' if you have to pay the full price, or the taxes, or in any way miss out on the discount a local would get. You're not a local, you don't make local wages. We're not jumping the price to take advantage of you, we're just investing a bit in our local clientele by discounting them a bit. Think of it as wholesale vs retail. A bar can sell you 10-20 beers during your trip, but can sell a local 1000 beers in a year. Just as you can't expect to pay the same per bottle for a bottle vs a case, you shouldn't expect to pay the same per beer for your 10 beers as a local pays for his 1000.
Again, this is not intended as a 'stick it to the tourist' thread, but rather to make some people understand why it is that residents and Dominicans often get considerations they don't get.
Thoughts?
Am in a chatty mood, so I thought I'd address something that's been coming up in conversations a lot lately, both on and off this board: local's pricing.
My own opinion is that locals pricing should be just that -- pricing for locals. While I can certainly understand that no one wants to pay more than they have to, I thing a bit of clarification is in order.
First up, please bear in mind that the minimum wage in this country is a mere RD$4,970 or US$150) per month. Granted, most people make more than the minimum wage, but it should give you an idea of comparative salaries. One makes significantly less working here than one would for a comparable job in North America or Europe.
Also, the cost of living (at least in the tourist destinations) is not significantly lower than 'back home' (depending of course on where you're from). Taken into account the cost of living as a percentage of wages earned, your disposable income is significantly less than it would be were you to live, earn and spend in say Montreal.
This is not to bemoan the fate of us poor expats -- quality of life is a heck of a compensation for foregone revenues, but just to say that a $50 night out costs us (in comparative terms) a significantly higher portion of our disposable income than it does any tourist.
Take into account as well that the average expat makes by far more than the average Dominican in tourist areas. (for clarification: I obviously include Dominicans in the 'locals' category.)
Another point to consider is that, while a tourist will come to your restaurant/bar/shop/place of business a couple of times per trip at best, a local can and will come every weekend for a year -- 52 visits vs 2 or 3. Likewise, a well-pleased local will recommend your place to other locals, thus exponentially increasing your business, whereas a tourist will mention it to his friends when he gets home, sure, but how many of them will come down and visit, and how often?
Yet another point: A resident is generally a resident year-round and will therefore keep you in business not only during the high season, but also during the low season -- when you REALLY need the help.
With all of these factors to consider, it's no wonder there are local's discounts. When I was in Rio de Janiero, I knew I wasn't getting the local's price on the things that I bought, but guess what? I didn't expect to.
If you're a tourist, we're glad to have you and glad to have your business. Generally we'll go out of our way to make sure you have a great stay and go home happy. But please don't feel you're getting 'ripped off' if you have to pay the full price, or the taxes, or in any way miss out on the discount a local would get. You're not a local, you don't make local wages. We're not jumping the price to take advantage of you, we're just investing a bit in our local clientele by discounting them a bit. Think of it as wholesale vs retail. A bar can sell you 10-20 beers during your trip, but can sell a local 1000 beers in a year. Just as you can't expect to pay the same per bottle for a bottle vs a case, you shouldn't expect to pay the same per beer for your 10 beers as a local pays for his 1000.
Again, this is not intended as a 'stick it to the tourist' thread, but rather to make some people understand why it is that residents and Dominicans often get considerations they don't get.
Thoughts?