I’m back in New York City after 3 months of travel and record breaking and, besides the jet lag, I’m experiencing culture shock. Why is everyone in such a rush and why do people seem so withdrawn into their own worlds? I guess in a few weeks I will once again become an assimilated New Yorker and I won’t be asking such silly questions!
Anyway, one of the more noticeable differences about daily life in the U.S., as opposed to Asia, is the bargaining. Here, when you go into a store, you pay whatever it says on the price tag. You don’t see shoppers at Key Food trying to convince the produce guy that he should give them a better deal on a head of lettuce. But, in Thailand and many other Asian countries, bargaining is not only normal – it is expected. Vendors deliberately add on 25%, or sometimes even double or triple their initial price, so they have room to give you a big discount. Usually, the back and forth negotiating is done in a spirit of fun.
On my last day in Chiang Mai, I overheard a typical good-natured bargaining session between my friend, who was trying to get a ride to the airport, and a tuk-tuk driver. Tuk-tuks are 3-wheeled vehicles that serve as taxis.
Friend: How much to the airport?
Tuk-tuk guy: I like your face so I’ll give you a good price, 100 baht (3 dollars and 50 cents).
Friend: (pretending outrage) What? That’s highway robbery. I’ll give you 50 baht. The airport is only 15 minutes away. I can easily take the bus for 10 baht.
Tuk-tuk guy: All right, since I can tell by your accent that you are from England and I admire your Prime Minister, John Major, I’ll make it 80 baht, but the price of gas alone is more than that.
Friend: Sorry, all I have left in Thai money is 70 baht and, by the way, I’m not really a fan of John Major, but I think your King is a good man.
Tuk-tuk guy: (with a smile) Okay, friendship is more important than money – hop in.
Another friend, Jigisha, just returned from Thailand yesterday and told me about his experience bargaining at, of all places, a dental clinic. The dental clinics in Thailand are extremely modern and the staff is highly qualified, but their prices are a fraction of the cost of identical work done in the States. In fact, I’ve heard of people who fly to Thailand to get their teeth fixed and pay for their airfare and a week’s vacation with the money they’ve saved on their dental bills.
Apparently, Jigisha used all of his bargaining skills to negotiate the cheapest price for treatment of a nasty cavity that had been bothering him for a while. In the middle of the drilling, Jigisha realized he was in considerable pain and he managed to exclaim, despite the suction tube in his mouth, “Eshcush me, but it sheems that you forgot to give me a shot of Novocaine!” The friendly dentist replied, “Oh no, I didn’t forget, but the Novocaine costs 100 baht and I didn’t think you wanted to spend the extra money”!!!
