Haggle in the DR

korejdk

Bronze
Dec 29, 2006
647
37
0
How skilled in the variations of negotiating as to other societies do you find the DR ? Please share your experiences.
 

margaret

Bronze
Aug 9, 2006
1,222
99
48
From my experience, Persians are the masters. They turn the process of haggling in a fine ritual. I've haggled over miniature paintings, gold jewelery and carpets. They know their product inside and out, the workmanship, they educate the consumer about the value. They can read the consumer and offer products and styles that meet their tastes and needs. In the process of negotiating they pour tea and bring out cookies, talk about what ever the shopper whats to talk about. They communicate their love for what they're selling in such a way that the value increases. They seem not to care if they make the sale or not. They take into consideration credit, cash, currency. You can end up buying more than you intended to get the better deal. In Iran they pitch to men over carpets, to the women over jewelery and art. They know who to pitch to and who will pay.

In the Dominican Republic, I haggled over jewelery and a vacation club package. With the jewelery it varied. In the Orange Market in POP, the sellers were too aggressive and couldn't read the shopper. However I think the tourists weren't that skilled at dickering over price as they were North Americans who tend to pay the ticket price and don't know how to haggle convincingly.

At one resort I met one seller who was insulting and aggressive. He looked at my gold jewelery and said in Spanish to the guy, "she has money show her these earrings!" I just walked away from them. But at another resort, the salesmen knew how to manipulate me. He had me try on rings, he put on the necklace, helped me with earrings. Flattered me. All the while flirting with me charmingly. But one of his sales associates said in Spanish, "she's too old for you!" I couldn't believe it, it was so shocking and offensive. LOL I was astounded at how someone in sales (or watching over the table) could mess up the deal with his remarks. But I bought the jewelery when I was satisfied that I was close to a price I could be happy with.

With the timeshare, it was the same jewelery seller who acted as the stringer, picked me up at one resort and gave me a tour of the other resort. His closer kept changing the package until it fit my budget. In the course of the negotiation, they brought me drinks, had the crepe restaurant make me a late lunch. They knew how to take care of me. They were more skilled at reading me and turning me into a happy customer.

I was so impressed with his stringer that if I ever hear of a great job for him, I'll contact him. That guy is very good and can sell anything. But then again, I might be a soft touch and an easy sell but they made me feel like a hard bargainer. I think there are some good sales people in the DR but the Persians have thousands of years of experience and they've turned it into an art.