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Some of the best salespeople you may ever have the opportunity to interact with do not wear three piece suits and carry briefcases. They are the barefoot children running through the dusty streets of Tangier, Morocco. Enjoy their mischievous grins and the sparkle in their eyes but don’t let that deceive you into thinking that their intentions are other than closing a deal that will involve a transfer of wealth from you to them.
The first tactic is quite simply to ask for your money. Because they are so friendly and persistent, a good percentage of their daily income will actually come from this venue. A negative response from you will be laughed off good-naturedly as they progress to the next level of marketing: taking you to their older brother.
The older brother is an aspiring store merchant learning the skills of the trade by running a satellite store with what he can carry in his arms. Although equally as intent on redistributing your money to himself he knows that he no longer has the childish charm weapon in his arsenal. Instead he expounds at length, while talking at breakneck speed, on the virtues of the particular merchandise he has (literally) on hand. Nowhere, he assures you, can you find finer silk or softer leather, a more authentic blanket or a richer looking wood vase.
This is the encounter that you can have the most fun with, particularly if you prepared well before leaving your home. Think of an auction, a flea market, a yard sale, and a consignment store all rolled in one and you may begin to appreciate what bartering in Morocco is all about. Never, ever, accept the first offered price. It will always be so outrageously high, that you would lose respect by accepting it in the same way a person throwing money away would. Typically, your maximum target price should be about half of the initial price.
“One man’s trash is another man’s treasure” goes the saying and one that you would be well advised to heed when packing for a trip to bartering cultures such as Morocco. Load your pockets up with treasures before heading into town. These items will dramatically lower the amount of cash you have to outlay and in some cases it is possible to “purchase” something with no money exchanging hands. Just remember to treat your trading pieces with the reverence expected for something of value. Copper US pennies are always worth far more than their face value for smaller trades. Old watches that have been sitting in the back of some junk drawer become centerpieces of major transactions, particularly if they still run. Small toys (like the fast food giveaways) are great deal closers. If you quit smoking some years past, you may even still have in your possession the stand alone champion trade item of all time: a Zippo© lighter.
Whether you close a transaction with the big brother or not, his mission is to get you to his father’s store. This is where you will find the higher ticket items such as leather goods and carpets. It is also the exact opposite environment that you just engaged in. Here you may find yourself sitting on a low bench sipping a glass of tea while discussing your family with the owner. Like a fortuneteller, he will take clues from your actions and words and try to ascertain what you might be interested in purchasing, and how much you can afford.
Do not expect to barter as much as you did on the street but the price haggling will probably be more intense because there is a wider range to work in. Ending up at around half of what was initially proffered will still be a good guide but do not forget to sweeten the deal by having the final price include shipping or maybe that small area rug they showed you earlier. The best times to shop these stores are at the extreme ends of the workday. It is considered bad luck if the first customer to enter the store leaves without buying something. If the last customer is dragging the negotiations out too long, the exasperated merchant will do what has to be done to get them on their way so he can close his store.
Enjoy the shopping experience without feeling that you are taking advantage of the children or the merchants. First because they enjoy the process as much as you do. Secondly because they are professionals at what they do. They know exactly what their profit margins are on all items and their salesmanship skills would earn them high standings in any Dale Carnegie© course. You may even be very surprised to find that you cannot avoid them by feigning ignorance of whatever language they approach you in; even those young waifs have learned five or more languages so they can negotiate with any tourist.
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