I've spoken to many people that said they would never come back to Jamaica because of harassment.
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/edito...sment_19135181
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I've spoken to many people that said they would never come back to Jamaica because of harassment.
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/edito...sment_19135181
Isn't stopping me. JMO,a simple no mon, have a great day.
Many of us that have walked the beach and west end for 20 years don't see the the level of harassment that a "fresh" tourist sees. They see us and remember us and don't waste the energy on us but if they see some one that they know will give them 5 bucks just to get them off they are relentless.I see many folks post here that they never get hit on...Answer the first question the wrong way and they are in your pockets or will intimidate until they get what they want.....First time to Jamaica, Mon???
My suggestion I give to first timers is to always speak . Just say no thanks or not interested . Don't ignore and keep walking and don't say I'll shop with you later cause that will remember you said that. I actually enjoy the haggling but I realizE some people are shy and have a hard time with it.
Now regarding the cruise that's a different story. I cruised once to Falmouth and actually had some Negril friends pick us up.
I could see there was a whole different level of intensity there as the salespeople know it's a one time shot. If that stay in Falmouth had been my first time to Jamaica I doubt I would have ever gone back
Here's the thing - we love Negril. I don't mind the vendors and for the most part, haven't had a problem. But on this last trip in May, I have to say that some people were way more aggressive than I've ever encountered. I know the whole drill about "no thanks", never say come back if you don't want it, etc., but we had quite a few people our last couple days come up to us and say "I'm back, you said you would look at my stuff". I would then say, "No, I've never said that, you must have me confused with someone else." These guys got angry and a bit confrontational. It started to get very annoying. All I want to do is go for a walk on the beach and enjoy my vacation without being accosted. Our last morning we were walking the beach and talking about maybe trying another destination for our next trip. It's sad, really, because most of the people we encounter are fine. It's the aggressive, rude and disrespectful ones that ruin it for everyone.
Yes, in Negril its easy to avoid with a no thank you and they get to know you. But if you do stop to browse the hard sell is on.
This is why I ALWAYS say "No thanks"...even if I might be interested. Then as I continue my walk I'll think about if I'm really interested or not and if I am truly interested in what they have, I'll stop when I see them next.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kevin, PA
It's not for everyone.
You can always try. No habla ingles. That has worked for me in the past
Its a bit over the top, yes, but I try to have fun with it.
I talk to them, ask their name, listen to their pitch, tell jokes, laugh with them, most of them are cool.
There were a few nasty ones, no chance of a sale there.
When I walk the beach with my girl, we never stop walking. If you wanna talk to us, you gotta walk with us.
Interestingly, there seems to be a protocol to talk to the male first, order among the chaos.
It seems the focus of the article deals with tourist harassment at the ports - Montego Bay and Ocho Rios - where the tourists pour off the ships and are immediately set upon by vendors. The beach vendors we encounter in Negril are tame compared to the swarms of vultures that prey on the cruise ships. Having been to Negril nearly 2 dozen times since 1999, I can't say that many of the beach vendors remember me (although some do) but I've been able to fend off those I don't wish to deal with using a simple "no thank you."
While I've never been to Jamaica by cruise ship, I have been to several other ports in the Caribbean by ship and can attest to the uncomfortable feeling you get when the locals and tourists meet.
here're a couple *thoughts*, ideas & suggestions & observations
1...your body language is key ..... just the other day, when the Lucea-electrician & I were chattin', we had a lot of laughs about the how *residents* can READ body-language ....... they do it so well, that many-times it's as if they've '''...read-my-mind...''' ...... they can even *read* fellow-Jamaicans who're visiting/returning from-foreign.
2....wear your sunglasses ----- they like to get close, and look in your eyes .... no can see eyes, and they have a *problem*
3....move, walk, what-ever, etc. with-a-purpose in your demeanor ::::: project confidence, and no-fear ..... There's NOTHING to be afraid of, ESPECIALLY in-Negril, or some other tourist area.
4....STOP giving money to ANY & ALL folks beggin' .... this INCLUDES the children/pickneys, who're practice-ing and testing their wings to become future beggers. ..... STOP it...!!!.... I repeat::::>> STOP giving money to folks you don't know....!!!! ..... STOP it STOP it STOP it.
those who give money to strangers are feeding the *beast* and encourage-ing the beggin' behavior, and ALL other forms of so called harrassment.
so,
STOP it...!!!!...
.
.
.
:-(
.
.
5....IF your have a problem,
always keep in mind that you have a ""..Tourist-card...''' you can always play....so, play it.
YOU ~~~ the tourist/visitor/guest ~~~ have a LOT of clout/power..... so, use it.
Jamaica's NUMBER-#1 business is YOU-the-tourists :::::::::::: they want NOTHING to mash-up the tourists bizness.
so,
if you're troubled/bothered/harassed, etc etc, what-ever
....call a cop
....scream
....cry
....act the fool
....holler
....asked the other Jamaicans in the area/vicinity to HELP HELP you.
.....get one of those toy-cops (i.e., beach patrol) to help you
stop feeling sorry for people
...you're on vacation .... you're not Mother Theresa .... you are not a social-worker ...... YOUR-tax dollars are doing a lot of good-thing$ right-now in Jamaica [[[[ minus a likkle Ja-government *administrative* this & that ]]]
.
.
6....the trouble-makers ain't gonna do physical harm to ya
7.....do what YOU want --- NOT what THEY want you to do.
8.....I *think* 'tis written some-place:::>> ''''...for everyting there is a season, blah blah blah ....... a time to be polite and a time to BE RUDE, blah blah...''''
so,
if you find yourself in a *season* which requires rude-ness, then BE RUDE,,,,, and forget about all that '''respect'''' foolishness/con
9....again,,, STOP giving 'em money [[[ period ]]]
10...go to a nearby shop/business/barQuote:
Originally Posted by smith744
and asked someone there to HELP you with the trouble-maker
11....if you have a cell phone,
pull it out
and tell 'em you're gonna dial 911
ummmmm
that won't work
can't remember what the **911 number*** is in Jamaica
somebody help me with this, please
119
Thanks..!!!...Quote:
Originally Posted by TAH
:-)
so,
as i said,
PULL OUT your cell phone
and tell 'em you're gonna call the police & dial #119
I don't have the problem but I can see the tourists point. Especially the cruise ship folks.
Negril has many repeat visitors or at least people staying several days.
Cruise ship people have 6 hours or so and probably don't understand anything said in Patios. That can be frightening all by itself.
It would be best if all they see is the "floor show" version
Cap
That’s a shame because this “harassment” does NOT take place everywhere in Jamaica. In the limited key tourist areas & cruise ship ports, yes, but where the country’s true vast beauty and amazing culture thrive…rarely or never. So if a person has a low tolerance for or just tired of the “in-your-face” higgling, these are the locations they should avoid. If not, their overall view of Jamaica will be negative causing them to miss knowing what the country is really about.Quote:
Originally Posted by Todd
There are countless places throughout the land where “tips” on how a visitor is to respond to an aggressive individual are not even needed.
i have a Jamaican flag tatoo on my upper right arm, most of the higglers see it and do not bother us, soon come
jamaicarob, when I saw your tattoo, I bothered you....lol... :) (have a great trip ! )
I have a Jamaica flag tattoo and an awesome Bob Marley tattoo on my back. I do believe it helps. Some of the Google would rather talk about my tattoos than give me the hard sell. :)
My husband & I (both) have barbed wire tattoos, vendors always ask if we work in a prison or, have ever been "in" prison...
CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP Smith BRAVO!!!!Well said! Act a fool! LOL! Oh and I called 119 1 morning when i felt slightly threatened and no one answered the phone. In fact the phone hung itself up after so many rings. What are you suppose to do then?
I have always thought of carrying a stack of fake life insurance policies in my back pack and when they stop me I would pull them out and try to sell them a policy, Just to mess with them. ;)
Seriously though, the enntire scene is just over the top. I like walking the beach early in the morning when it's quiet. The afternoons are better spent in the west end.
When we were there in Feb I tried a new different approach. I had a couple of bags of lollipops that I had brought with me and when a beach person would ask if we wanted to buy something I said no thank you but here is a lollipop. It almost always made them laugh and no one ever gave us a problem.
Love the lollipop idea!
I sometimes say I am a big meth dealer in the states looking for a Jamaican partner. Don't think Netflix is popularr there yet so I can get away with it
I stay for longer periods of time and I still get approached several times each day. I don't feel threatened (with a few exceptions, lately) but it's the tedium of having to constantly deal with it that wears me down. It's aggravating.
It is a problem and I totally get why some people never return after their 1st visit.
Sadly ... some find it ..overbearing
I enjoy MOST of the interaction & enjoy my time on da rock
I don't purchase many trinkets ...
I DO always look for something that I consider ..one of a kind ..or of superior craftsmanship
So far this week it hasn't been an issue, of course Diane's son is 6'5" and worksout 5 days a week!
But seriously, it hasn't been an issue so far.
This is so true. We've stayed in Ochoa Rios a few times, and I always comment on how much more often you are approached there than in Negril. It's really a very different vibe.Quote:
Originally Posted by fawnridge
It amazes me the different responses to this thread, from "I never get bothered" to "It's fun!" to "It's just a few bad apples"... and then there's the people who just feel completely harassed the second they walk on the beach.
I personally don't mind it much, my wife on the other hand...
It's not the sales tactics, it's the aggressive way some of them act... I've watched a man take my wife's hand, and not let go and grab harder while she's pulling away, and I've had to say something. That should NEVER happen.
I've been threatened with violence on the cliff road by a man trying to sell me weed. No didn't work, so he started following us, scaring the **** out of my wife, saying he was going to fight us. It wasn't until some vendors stepped in that he stopped, and my wife was too scared to walk back so we waited with the vendor in her shack until a taxi came by.
It's been bad enough that our upcoming trip may be our last to Negril if it's bad again. I didn't realize how uncomfortable it made my wife, so I kept pushing to come back, and making all the travel arrangements. I won't do it again if she tells me she's uncomfortable this time.
Anyone who says it's no big deal has no idea the damage these guys do to tourism. Sure, you guys all keep coming back, but I would LOVE to see the percentage of people who come once, don't stay at an AI, and refuse to come back a second time. I bet it's not a small number.
She was advised by her therapist (yes, this was serious enough that it comes up in her therapy - turns out she goes with me to Negril because she doesn't want to let me down, and now she has spoken up!) that if anyone approaches and makes her uncomfortable, she should yell NO! GO AWAY! LEAVE ME ALONE! as soon as she feels uncomfortable. Because I'm afraid that will just make the situation worse, I expect to spend less time wandering the beach and cliffs, spending money at restaurants and bars, and spending the majority of the time just hanging at the hotel.
That's $$$ that will not be spread around Negril. And it happens at the AIs. Tourists spend all their money there, little to none of it stays in JA, and are afraid to leave the safety of the resort.
The hustlers are a tremendous problem in Negril, and to say it's not is not being honest.
It is hard to convince the everyday Jamaican that being nice and not pushy will get you more over time than aggressive tactics. Kind of like new and used car salesmen and telemarketers, if you score once out of ten tries you are successful. When people are poor and their bellies are not full they are acting more out of desperation.
You don't find this attitude as much out on the island away from tourist destinations even though they are just as hungry and just as poor.
Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryS
To clarify.... Your wife needed therapy because of Negril Hustlers, or because you and her are not communicating clearly?
Also, I agree. You should not go on VACATION, somewhere you don't enjoy.
We toured Kingston ... IE - Trenchtown ..on our last trip ..& were not approched once
I do take down certain ..items - ballcaps , hotwheels & other small gifts ...
I think the Bob Marley tattoo ..let's the hustlers know ..that we are not newbies
Never been to an AI , but, there are many who
Will ONLY stay @ AI's because of the aggresive nature of some vendors
Definitely. It's not for everyone. I look at the hustlers as part of the landscape. I love visiting NYC, but I hate the traffic and loud noise associated with it. I deal with it though, because there's so much else to offer.Quote:
Originally Posted by Slightly Stoopid
Not to make it personal, but I doubt any locals care about the tattoo, or that it in itself shapes their opinion, but rather, it changes/changed your demeanor and they vibe off of that.Quote:
Originally Posted by Slightly Stoopid
You're not wrong and I do agree with some of what you've said, but I've seen women and slight men yell at first approach...It's not a good look. I get quite embarressed for them. Has her shrink ever been there? If not, it might not be the best advice to follow.Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryS
I'm absolutely convinced that body language and demeanor are the triggers for approach by an aggressive vendor.
Several times I've had one walk up to me and the first thing said was "you live here?"
Jamaicans are experts at reading a vibe.
Cap
The first couple times I went to Jamaica I felt somewhat nervous and uncomfortable ~ I wasn't used to people so outgoing, striking up conversations, asking direct questions (that I wasn't as prepared to answer as they were in asking).
The first day I felt maybe we should have ONE person as our go-to resource/verification person, otherwise we'd be like Ping-Pong balls being called this way and that. By evening we'd met someone that felt comfortable and no pressure. We didn't tell him that's what we were going to use him for, we just stopped by for a daily visit and then went on our way. We wanted to do a road trip so we asked him to find a driver and invited him to come along with us. The next year we looked for him and continued the same way.
He's always been the same as our first impression so we stuck with him .... 14 years and countless trips ;)
No problem ... nothing personal takenQuote:
Originally Posted by MikeyNYC
& Yes, I totally agree - it's all about the vibe -