Bali is a paradise for shopper. This little island has an amazing culture with so many things that are produced by locals. Everywhere you go, you will find many handicraft, textiles and art. Shopping in Bali is far more than buying a few souvenirs to bring home.
Bali is famous for a lot of things because they are so low prices. Even the exclusive product will be considerably cheaper than you would pay anywhere else, but there is something that you should do to get the cheaper price, yes! Bargaining… here are some tips that will make your shopping experience smoother
Cash Better
First of all, credit card are not accepted everywhere but cash purchases make your shopping activities easier, especially when you are in smaller shops. And also, in a larger shop if you use credit card, you will pay more than you buy, because there is the fee from credit card companies charges the vendor for processing payment.
Always Check Before You Leave
Before you pay your goods, check again the condition of the goods you want to buy. This is better if you bring your friend so if you are not sure about the goods you can ask to your friend about it. Just to make sure you are not disappointed after buy the goods.
Bargaining
When you are shopping in a smaller shop, bargaining is really important. Here are the tips for bargaining
Don’t ask ‘how much is this?’ before you are sure you will buy it. In many places there is no price tag, so you should ask about the price, but don’t ask before you are feeling that you must buy this goods, because this question will make you start the bargaining for something you are not really sure to buy or not
- Keep smile while you are bargaining, be polite and be friendly to the seller, don’t easy get mad and never make comparison price of merchandise with other place. This is a local shopping norms that you must obey.
- Leave the shop, it’s okay for leave the shop when they didn’t give you the price that you want, leave and say ‘it’s okay, thank you’, go slowly and you do not need to look another shop/store because if the price that you want is reasonable, the seller will run and call you again with saying ‘Ok Ok, I agree’
- Balinese believe that the first sale open their luck. So, if they tell you they have not sale anything today, believe them and start bargaining. They are willing to sell something with less profit than normally just to make their first sale and open their luck.
- Never make a promise, sometimes while you want to leave the shop but you feel sorry for them, and you just say ‘I’ll be back’. Don’t just say it when you know you will never go back, because Balinese have a good memory, it just anticipates if you meet them again, you will feel so sorry for hem
- If you are confused about how to start bargaining, start with 50% price from the price that the seller give. Don’t go too far when you bargain, remember that what they sell is their livelihood
- Never forget to say Thank you, you buy the goods or not, when you leave say ‘thank you’. So while you get back to shop that you have leaved before, because you just know that the shop has the lower price than other, you will never feel awkward
That are the tips for shopping in Bali, especially when you are going to art market or a small shop, you should apply it but don’t be too stiff 🙂
