Culture —– Ensenada Mexico Part II
As I mentioned a couple weeks ago before the holidays, when we went to Ensenada, we had a great tour guide named Miguel. He gave everyone tips for how to bargain in Mexico. For example, he said that if you’re shopping and something costs $10, you should automatically offer $5 (half the original price). The shop owner will never go that low, but it gives you some leverage to begin the bargaining process. Eventually you’ll work your way up to about $7. If you do it right you’ll usually end up getting things for about 20-30% off the original asking price. As mentioned in a previous blog post, you can bargain at any small street shops but usually large department stores or malls will not bargain. My goal in this blog post is to help you learn Spanish and feel confident bargaining.
Hearing about bargaining is slightly different than actually being on the streets of Mexico doing it. For example, my wife Melanie had only previously shopped in Latin America once, a long time ago, and didn’t remember what it was like. When we went by a sidewalk vendor selling hats, we saw one that she really liked and wanted to get as a souvenir for her mother. The man started off with $10 as the price. I looked at him as if he was crazy and offered him $5. We went back and forth for a few minutes and after threatening to buy one cheaper somewhere else, he finally agreed to sell it to me for only $6! At that price we decided to get two hats, one for both of our mothers. As I was bargaining, I could tell that Melanie was uncomfortable watching me try to get the price down so low. She simply isn’t used to the culture of bargaining and felt out of her comfort zone.
When you are in Latin America for the first time or if you have never bargained for things before, it can feel a little awkward at first, but it’s completely normal and actually expected. As for me, there are few things more fun than bargaining for the cheapest possible price on an item. It’s a fantastic cultural experience and gives you good practice in Spanish as well.
Changing the topic a little, our tour guide Miguel gave us a valuable tip for purchasing any type of silver in Mexico. Any time you buy silver in Mexico, be sure it’s engraved with the numbers 925. For example, if you buy a pair of earrings look on the back and make sure that “925″ is engraved somewhere. If it is not engraved somewhere, the silver item is most likely fake. Also, one last tip on wearing silver—be sure you don’t wear it in the shower! I am not quite sure why, but Miguel said this is VERY important.
Moral of the Story: If you go to Latin America, make sure to try bargaining with the vendors. It’s one of the best cultural experiences you can have. It’s fun and you can also get items at great prices! Also – remember to not to wear your silver in the shower.
Sneak peek at next week: Ensenada Part III!
¡Hasta la próxima semana! (Until Next Week!)
David S. Clark — President / Director
Hi Dave,
I wanted to tell you about my experience bargaining in mexico. It was about 2 years ago in Tijuana, just after I started learning spanish. Being a marble(canica not mármol) enthusiast I was hoping to find some vacors (marbles made by Vacor de México in Guadalajara) which proved more difficult than I would have thought. After much diligence I finally found a basket full. I inquired as to thier price and was quite taken aback when the shop keeper told me a dollar apiece. I was thinking 10 cents each is what I’de like to pay (since they go for about 15 cents on line). “No no no” I protested “they’re not worth near that, besides I want to buy all of them not just one or two”. Well you’ld have thought I was getting ready to spend ten thousand dollars the way he re-acted. He and a couple of other fellows began counting and found there were 150 marbles in the basket. The shop keeper told me he would have to call the owner which he did and after about a min. of talking on the phone he came back with an offer of $48.00 for the lot. “Oh no, still way to much” I insisted. I offered ten and we finally settled on seventeen for all, excluding the basket. And yes what fun.
Hi! Is Mexico, epecially Mexico City, a place too dangerous for a female to travel alone? I’ve been learning Spanish for months and I really want to go there next year, probably in July. Please advise.
Claudia
Hi Claudia,
Mexico City is no safer or no more dangerous than any other large city in the world. There are certain places you can go and walk around without any problem while there are others that you should avoid. If you are looking for this information, any Spanish school you sign up for should be able to provide you it for their cities. You can also look for a list of the safest cities in Mexico online if you would like. I believe they are Queretaro and Merida. I hope this helps.