Over the couple of years I have been visiting the DR, it has been brought to my attention, that some stores, (Playero, Janet's, Super Super and perhaps others) charge different prices when you are a Dominican. People have told me that tourists are charged higher prices. I have witnessed some Expats identifying themselves and getting a better price (discount). Is this the practice?
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I hope I do not offend anyone with this question...
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It is a fact that there are different prices for the same item here if you are not Dominican. It doesn't happen all the time and not everywhere.
Milagro03 I feel I must address your post in that after living here 10 years I have found it the exception rather than the rule of a price for anything being on the product being purchased. At the same time I haven't frequented Playero, Janets and Albertico's but of all the other places that I have been I have rarely seen prices attached to the item and a lot of times no price on the area that the product is displayed.
The prices in most stores are controlled by the owner and most sales personnel need the permission to give a discount on an item. The original price is set high and it is the Dominican way to haggle over price.
Rick
I must also state that here in my little town of El Seybo there are a number of store owners after ten years that will still try to rob me with a price higher then that which they charge their Dominican clientele. I only buy from them if it is something I must have and can find it in no other store. At the same time there are stores here that always give me a discount due to the volume I buy and them knowing I will always pay. It is because of the always paying and on time that has allowed me to buy anything anywhere in my town on credit.
Milagro03 I feel I must address your post in that after living here 10 years I have found it the exception rather than the rule of a price for anything being on the product being purchased. At the same time I haven't frequented Playero, Janets and Albertico's but of all the other places that I have been I have rarely seen prices attached to the item and a lot of times no price on the area that the product is displayed.
The prices in most stores are controlled by the owner and most sales personnel need the permission to give a discount on an item. The original price is set high and it is the Dominican way to haggle over price.
Rick
I must also state that here in my little town of El Seybo there are a number of store owners after ten years that will still try to rob me with a price higher then that which they charge their Dominican clientele. I only buy from them if it is something I must have and can find it in no other store. At the same time there are stores here that always give me a discount due to the volume I buy and them knowing I will always pay. It is because of the always paying and on time that has allowed me to buy anything anywhere in my town on credit.
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I doubt that it's a practice at Playero, and am sure it's not the case at the Super Super.
The Super Super does have a commercial discount for bars and restaurants buying large amounts of liquor, but even this, is just a tiny percentage.
I don't know about Janets, in fact, never heard of it.
Is that in Cabarete?
The Super Super does have a commercial discount for bars and restaurants buying large amounts of liquor, but even this, is just a tiny percentage.
I don't know about Janets, in fact, never heard of it.
Is that in Cabarete?
At Super-Super, businesses, as Marc says, do get a small discount for volume buying. As for Playero, if you own a business, you can apply for a carnet which also give you a small disount. As for Janet's etc. I doubt that a Dominican would get a lesser price for buying 1 bottle of rum (For example)and a business that buys 12 would pay the full price. It wouldn't make scence would it. I rather think that it would be the other way around. When I was a "Newbie" to this country, some Dominicans convinced me that they would get a better price than I could when in fact then went in on their own and got the owner to charge more and kick some back to him. As a rule, I will get a better or same price as them. Just beware of people wanting to get you a better price.
Best prices at Janet's
Yes, Janet's is in Cabarete. When in the DR I do most of my shopping there.
I have never seen Dominicans pay a different price than Gringos.
Some restaurants will give a discount to "locals" though and that includes Gringos.
Yes, Janet's is in Cabarete. When in the DR I do most of my shopping there.
I have never seen Dominicans pay a different price than Gringos.
Some restaurants will give a discount to "locals" though and that includes Gringos.
Playero scans evrything, as do many of the colmados in Sosua, so they cant charge a different price for different people, unless there's a "gringo" button on the computer 
As for Janet's, I shop there all the time. Almost everyhthing has a price tag on it, so unless they charge certain people less than whats stamped on the item, everyone pays the same. Any restaurant that doesnt have menus, or stores without prices, could easily do it...but if this is the case you should always ask the price first, and if it's a store, you could try to 'bargain'...
As for Janet's, I shop there all the time. Almost everyhthing has a price tag on it, so unless they charge certain people less than whats stamped on the item, everyone pays the same. Any restaurant that doesnt have menus, or stores without prices, could easily do it...but if this is the case you should always ask the price first, and if it's a store, you could try to 'bargain'...You're right and they have no "Gringo" button. LOL. They scan your carnet and a % disount is added to your account. At the cash register you pay the whole amount. Hey not complainning the accumulated disount pays for a big part of my Xmas shopping every year. Including the turkey.Playero scans evrything, as do many of the colmados in Sosua, so they cant charge a different price for different people, unless there's a "gringo" button on the computer
What ''carnet''???
Eddy, we spend 4 to 5 months at a time in Cabarete, what carnet are you talking about, and how do we go about getting one?
Eddy, we spend 4 to 5 months at a time in Cabarete, what carnet are you talking about, and how do we go about getting one?
I can verify that Albertico's, in Cabarete, do charge differently. They get away with it because there is no scanner, just a cashier who makes the decision when she sees you in line. She will also allow Dominicans to butt in front of other lined-up customers so that they can pay first. Most discriminatory pricing policy I have ever seen!!
Janet's in Cabarete
When I originally posted, the reason behind my question was the following episode that happened to me last winter.
I was doing my daily market in Janet's and was at the cashier waiting behind a dominican lady. Unfortunately when came time for her to pay, she did not have enough $$$ so she decided to not take a rather large package of Pork Chops. I decided to help her out and pay for the meat for her but she very proudly refused and left. When I saw the price on the package, I found it to be very cheap and decided to purchase it myself. The cashier was really REALLY reluctant to permit this. She called the Manager and asked what she should do. The Manager gave her permission to sell it to me anyway. My Spanish is rather limited, but I understood that the cashier felt it was wrong to let me have the meat at the Dominican price. I knew it was a very good price because I had often paid the same price for two or three pork chops and this package contained at least 8.
That is why I feel that we are overcharged in certain stores.
When I originally posted, the reason behind my question was the following episode that happened to me last winter.
I was doing my daily market in Janet's and was at the cashier waiting behind a dominican lady. Unfortunately when came time for her to pay, she did not have enough $$$ so she decided to not take a rather large package of Pork Chops. I decided to help her out and pay for the meat for her but she very proudly refused and left. When I saw the price on the package, I found it to be very cheap and decided to purchase it myself. The cashier was really REALLY reluctant to permit this. She called the Manager and asked what she should do. The Manager gave her permission to sell it to me anyway. My Spanish is rather limited, but I understood that the cashier felt it was wrong to let me have the meat at the Dominican price. I knew it was a very good price because I had often paid the same price for two or three pork chops and this package contained at least 8.
That is why I feel that we are overcharged in certain stores.
Im sure dominicans pay less for certain items at certain places. Look at thier typical income. When I see people working hard on the beach making 200RD a day they have to survive. I just dont think they should overcharge the rest of us. Let us all have the good prices!
This is why I wont generally shop , eat, or drink anyplace where there are no prices.
This is why I wont generally shop , eat, or drink anyplace where there are no prices.
" . . . I just dont think they should overcharge the rest of us. Let us all have the good prices . . ."
Beads,
Have you ever been in business for yourself? If they didn't charge us what they do (in these cases) they wouldn't be able to discount things to the local people.
Beads,
Have you ever been in business for yourself? If they didn't charge us what they do (in these cases) they wouldn't be able to discount things to the local people.
discount card
Playero in Sosua has a discount card that reduces the price by I believe 10 percent. My wife (Dominican and cheap) has the card. I think you just ask for a discount card and you get it. My wife said that with the discount the prices were more or less in line although we do better overall going to Puerto Plata. You tell them you are a regular customer not a tourist and that?s it.
Playero in Sosua has a discount card that reduces the price by I believe 10 percent. My wife (Dominican and cheap) has the card. I think you just ask for a discount card and you get it. My wife said that with the discount the prices were more or less in line although we do better overall going to Puerto Plata. You tell them you are a regular customer not a tourist and that?s it.
I do not see why you would question my post or why I would lie about this. The dominican woman was not questionning the price, she went to pay the whole order and found she dis not have enough money, that is why I offered to pay for her...
I told you my spanish is not excellent but it is good enough for me to understand the meaning of a conversation.
I don't think JD suggested you were lying, and I'm sure the reason he questioned your post, is for the same reason anyone else would have, who read it, it seems very unlikely to have gone down the way you interpreted it.
The way you described the pricing, was that the Dominican woman would have been getting pork chops at half the price you pay.
That type of price differential doesn't make sense.
There may have been something else going on.
Like......might the customer have been a third cousin thrice removed of the person who packaged the pork chops. And the cashier, another cousin, was afraid to let the mis-priced package to go out of the store with a stranger for fear that the owner would find out?
I don't know what they require now but 4+ years ago, you had to show you had a business and supply them with a copy of your cedula. That's all.
Rocky, point taken, you may be right. A pricing mistake or even a mini fraud may explain the situation. I would rather think of it in this light than think that we are intentionnally being overpriced because we are gringas/gringos in these larger businesses.
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