Lex Jenkins wrote:
(Somewhat in response to my own question...)
I theorize that one reason haggling is not the accepted way of doing
retail business in the U.S. is because of our ready access to
individual transportation and affordable fuel. If we don't like the
price at one store, we drive to the next...and the next...and so on.
Burning up our "savings" as we go.
In places where folks don't have the luxury of personal transportation,
haggling brings bargains to them, rather than they being forced to go
to the bargains. (Am I getting my personal pronouns right here? Been
too long away from the editor's desk...)
==================================================================
In Jakarta, where haggling is the accepted method of agreeing on a
price, all of the traders dealing in the same commodity tend to be
located at the same place. E.g., there is a district that specialises
in electronics goods, another specialises in building materials,
several districts contain numerous gold traders, and so on. Thus, the
need for transport doesn't enter the picture, and the customer is free
to browse many neighbouring shops and stalls until he/she is able to
strike a suitable bargain. This is very useful, of course, because when
the customer threatens to walk away from a potential deal, there is a
very real possibility that he/she will be able to find satisfaction at
a nearby shop won't be back. The the trader tries very hard to prevent
that from happening and good bargains can sometimes be had by playing
this game. Unfortunately, this doesn't seem to apply to cameras here -
not enough traders in used photographic goods, I guess. :-{
Regards,
=====
Ray
"The trouble with resisting temptation is
you never know when you'll get another chance!"
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Photos - Share your holiday photos online!
http://photos.yahoo.com/
< This message was delivered via the Olympus Mailing List >
< For questions, mailto:owner-olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx >
< Web Page: http://Zuiko.sls.bc.ca/swright/olympuslist.html >
|