After dinner a man was selling souvenirs.
Dad would be so proud of me because I bargained with at least 5 people's purchases. They would hand me the money (the most that they were willing to spend) and I would haggle!!! It was so much fun. It was like I was garage saling again! One time the guy told me the cost was $3 per cheap little trinket and Anna Katherine wanted 3 of them. So it would total $9 but I asked him 3 for $5? And he said yes! I got more than 50% off another sale and then it only got better after that! I loved it.
Today was an amazing day.
Why would you haggle with people who need the money?
ReplyDeleteThat's a really good question & I have an answer. The man who comes on to the site to sell the souvenirs receives a commision to begin with and anything that he sells is just extra icing on the cake.
ReplyDeleteHaggling with him is encouraged...it's a part of Haitian life.
According to you "-People in Haiti make less than 20 dollar a day."
ReplyDeleteTo go to a foreign country specifically to help people you know are impoverished and then make them lower their prices for you? It's not even like the guy was asking for outrageous prices. $3 for a souvenir? Come on, now. The whole thing just seems a bit counterproductive, is all.
Also, you aren't an impoverished Hatian haggling with another impoverished Hatian. It may be a way of life for them, but you are a privileged American who can afford to help a poor Haitian man. I don't mean to belittle your efforts to help the Hatian people. Just felt a need to point out the irony of the situation.
ReplyDeletewell i believe you made the smart decision with the haggle. had you not, you may have accidentally offended some of the townsfolk by showing off the fact that not only can you afford not to haggle, but you can afford many of the same item.they may have felt like you were flaunting your affluence. good show on the acclimation to they hatian way of life.
ReplyDeleteI respect you for your opinion & I certainly thought the same thing when it was brought up to us to haggle but since it was so highly encouraged that we DO haggle, from both the Haitian translators and the group supervisors that we were with, I didn't really have much of a problem with it. Haitians like to barter.
ReplyDeleteIt is comforting to post something with a cloak of anonymity, isn't it? You can say anything or be as rude as you would like without worry of repercussion.
& Lee, thank you for always having my back :)