Quote Originally Posted by Craig123 View Post
Apparently in the Jamican culture "No" means "No" while "Thanks" is a term associated with "Yes". Saying "No Thanks" is like saying "No Yes" and may make you a percieved soft target for hagglers. Their thoughts are "what is he thanking me for"?
Quote Originally Posted by northcoast View Post
We have been programmed to say "no, thanks" out of politeness in our culture, but that is often misunderstood & confusing to Jamaicans (especially those wanting to make a sale)
When dealing with a persistent/annoying higgler...of course a direct "NO" is the correct response if they are not respecting your initial response of "no thanks".
But, in every other circumstance a "no thanks" is a perfectly acceptable response...it will NOT be misunderstood. There is no reason to start off rude...as I said above...Jamaicans DO know manners.