DUBAI // The merchants of Meena Bazaar know how to spot an easy sales target, but Neetu Kumar is not one of them.
The souq-hopping shopper says she has learnt the tricks of the trade when it comes to haggling.
While prices on souq wares are listed, customers and traders know that bargaining is inevitable. And traders admit they quote prices based on a customer's nationality.
"When we see a customer, we know, we offer discounts depending on whether the customer is a resident or a tourist, and the country they belong to," says Rashid, who works at a handbag store in Karama.
He says English and Russian tourists do not usually drive a hard bargain, and are often content with as much as a 10 per cent discount. But not everyone settles for so little.
"If a bag is priced Dh970, we could end up selling it for as low as Dh550," says Rashid, adding that American, Australian and South Asian visitors push for the best deals.
"Somebody who is living here gets a better price," agreed Heike Zintz, a resident who always gives her visitors tours of the souqs. "I usually go to the same shops and take my guests there."
To prevent tourists getting ripped off, Mrs Zintz says hotels should inform them about the best places to shop and haggling techniques. At a souvenir shop in Karama, merchants admit to having trained eyes when it comes to identifying who their clients are.
"A car key would indicate the shopper is a resident," says Azeez. "Tourists usually carry cameras, dress in branded clothes and have souvenir or other shopping bags with them.
He says the assumption is fairly easy to make.
"Usually shops don't quote too high if the client is a resident," says Azeez, whose shop offers a maximum 20 per cent discount if customers insist on a good bargain.
A regular at Meena Bazaar, Kashish Ragwani always visits different shops.
"If you go to the same shop each time, the salesman knows how you haggle and he'll quote an even higher price. It is good to go to new shops," she says, adding that haggling techniques depend on the size and popularity of the store. "You can't go to an expensive place and start trying to bargain for much less. It depends on the shops.
Mrs Ragwani also believes it is important to be a calm, not an aggressive shopper, to clinch the best deals.
"I start bargaining from half the price," says Sandra Hansen, a Dubai resident. "Most people think I am a tourist and try to charge me more, but I know how to bargain."
Seasoned shopper Mrs Kumar says that to avoid being ripped off, she usually quotes about 20 to 30 per cent less, depending on the shop and the product she is buying.
Her most important advice is to visit numerous stores before buying anything.
"Don't buy at the first shop you enter," she says. "It is best to go to a few shops and compare prices before you buy. Most of the shops offer very similar products.
"I'll tell the shopkeeper that the previous shop was cheaper and I would prefer to buy from them if he doesn't offer a better price," says Mrs Kumar, who regularly shops for artificial jewellery, purses and clothes at Meena Bazaar and other souqs. "If the salesman is quite firm, I'll pretend to stage a walkout. It usually works."
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