Just how much do you "haggle?"

[Mandy]

I was just talking to a friend yesterday about our upcoming trip this summer. It's her first time to Jamaica. In fact, it's her first trip out of the country! We were talking about shopping the local beach vendors and she asked me if we pay the price asked or if we are supposed to haggle on prices there. Welllllll...that brought up a whole new conversation! LOL!

I can NOT haggle on prices. I just can't. I feel too bad doing it. I did it ONE time last year and Murf was so proud of me! But- I walked away feeling AWFUL about it. It's not like I was asking to pay waaayyy too little for something. It was a messenger bag. He was asking $25 US for it. I thought it was too much. Now, usually I just say, "No thanks." and I'll do without if they are asking too much. OR most of the time I tell Murf- "Hey- I WANT that- can you strike a deal?" and he will just take care of it. And I stand off to the side because it makes me feel uncomfortable. But on the messenger bag when he said $25. I said- would you take 20? He said no. I said, ok- thanks and was walking away. (I saw the exact same bag at a store there for $18) Then he said, "yeah, Mon! I'll take 20!" and I got the bag!

We do try and eat at the local places, buy from the beach vendors/flea markets rather than stores and things like that. I don't mind paying a bit more for something local. After all- one of the reasons that we love Negril so much- are the people there. So, if I can do a little something to help - then that's what I do.

BUT- Obviously I don't want to pay WAAAYY too much for something. Say- taxi rides. We were paying too much for a trip to the Hi-Lo. When we talked to others staying there and found out what they paid- we were paying double that!

Murf is an antique dealer and frequents yard sales and auctions so he LOVES the thrill of striking a good deal. (He can be brutal here in the US- but I have noticed he is quite a bit of a softy when it comes to Negril people! AWWWW!)

So- do you haggle on prices of things and if so- is it mainly just taxi rides and things from local beach vendors? Maybe I am looking at it all wrong. But have to admit- that I pay the asking price MOST of time. I have even went as far as telling Murf that they asked for $30 for a necklace and I got them down to $20. In truth- the asked $20 in the first place- but I didn't want to admit it! LOL!! Shhhhh-- don't tell him!
What say you?

[Marko]

part of life here in Negril is to haggle.....and not to get wrangled........lol
so be prepared to haggle as it is a way of life there for most eveything that a tourist would want.......
the red plate route taxis prices are pretty much set so there isn't a need to really haggle most times......
you just need to confirm the price before you sit in da car/van.......
mi pay $100J's to go anywhere on da Cliffs from Pee Wees.....
and mi pay $100J's go from da roundabout to anywhere on da beach.....
at night you gotta throw some things out da window and haggle for your rides like from the beach to the cliffs at 3AM....lol

okay when it comes to vendors........you usually need to haggle.........to get da best price
mi was an auctioneer for 15 years and a dealer before dat so mi enjoy getting da best deals....
so mi really like the price is right game....lol... Jamaicans are Pros at playing it with most everything.....lol
if you can't get da price you want...........just walk.....sooner or lata you will get your price if you put an effort into it......

Cool Runnings, Marko

[wrtiii]

Almost never. I don't enjoy haggling, and don't care whether I get the "best price" from a Jamaican.

On cabs, I rarely use a charter, and when I do, I usually find that overpaying by Jamaican standards is still much less than a cab would cost me at home. Just out of my own pride, I do tell cab drivers that I know what the rate should be.

This year we forgot towels and when I bought one on the beach, the guy asked me for $20. for one and I told him I know they sell for half that in town; he asked for $15 and I gave him that. It's certainly fair to tell someone "That's only worth X to me" if that's the case.

If, when I leave, a bunch of Jamaicans feel that they had a good week because I was there, that means I feel it was a better week for me, too. When I'm spending $4000. for a week away from winter (including airfare for 2, on which US Air doesn't negotiate!), it's silly to quibble with the Jamaicans about whether my total spending will be 5% more than that, which goes directly to individual people and not to a US corporation. And it's never right to take advantage of someone who is desperate, which every year I see being done.

I have a friend who loves to haggle, and does it as entertainment. When he is done haggling and buys something at a price favorable to him, he often tips a buck or two - a good solution all around.

[rinakim]

I'm not much of a haggler myself, but my other half makes it a sport
I'm okay with saying the price is way more than I would pay for it, but I'm not going to make a big deal out of a few dollars that is going into someone's pocket that needs to feed their family.
On the other hand, I don't like to be made to feel that I am being taken advantage of like when a cab driver tries to charge $10 a head for 8 people for a ride from the cliffs to the beach!

[kaycee]

I haggle everything, especially if I know there aren't set prices. I have haggled at times square to duty free shops. I mainly do it along the beach...I hate buying "hand crafted" items only to see made in China on the bottom. Whomever is selling usually comes down on price a bit when I point that out too them.

[goldilocks]

I will haggle briefly and then walk. It's a buyer's market. I figure out what I want to pay for an item and offer a little bit lower than that, then come up to the price I've set in my mind. Usually works well.

Often I'll ask the price of an item (having an idea what the going rate is already) and if they quote me an outrageously high price then I know it's not a vendor I want to deal with and walk. Any attempts at hustling will also cause me to walk away. If the vendor offers a fair price for the item, s/he'll often get a little extra from me just for having good business practices.

[rasta ronnie]

An easy way to haggle without haggling is just ask if the vendor has something at a specific price. Example; Go to a jewelry vendor, or fruit stand and ask if the have something for $3.00 or what ever price you want to spend. If they say no, just walk away. Route taxies are as Marko says, 100J's beach to roundabout, 100J roundabout to cliffs.

[Rambo]

First of all.....have some ideas of what others are charging for similar objects...one thing you dont want to do is insult the seller with a first shot that is too "low ball".......then as you work the price..smile its suppose to be fun...make sure your both having a good time...lol

then tip him before you leave.........YOU WILL BE REMEMBERED.....lol

[Mandy]

Okay- so how much is fair to go from Nirvana to the Hi-Lo and back? The driver waits on us- and we are inside no longer than 20 minutes. I can't be 100% sure- but I think we usually pay $10-$15 US. Is that about right?

I can't wait to get back!!!! 84 sleeps!

[Weathermon & Mi Lady]

We negotiate on everything that we buy on the beach or the cliffs. The locals expect it and set their prices accordingly. If you don't negotiate, you are paying too much. It doesn't work at the HiLo though