Shopping in Thamel

Having honed my bargaining skills in China I was all set to hit the shops in Thamel and go on a pashmina buying binge. Much to my despair, however, Nepali shopkeepers - at least in Thamel - do not entertain much of a bargaining conversation. Or, at least, the style is very different to China and I haven't quite figured it out yet.

In China, you're given a price which you know is inflated by at least a factor of 8, so you offer 10% of their original price, come up perhaps a little bit and then just walk away after that. Sure as anything the trader will come after you and, after trying on a few other lower prices, will accept your price for the item.

Nepali traders, however, don't respond to this technique. Either they have worked out that if you don't buy their pashmina/tigerbalm/balloon pants/ felt handbag at the original requested price, then some other sucker surely will - or I just don't have enough patience or knowledge to reduce the price beyond a token amount. Taxi drivers are impossible to bargain with as well, as the meter is always broken and the pre-negotiated fare is always several times more than what it 'should' cost.

This is confusing and frustrating to the Master Negotiator in me.

There's always a disparity in foreigner/local pricing (this was clearly the case in China as well) but the goal is to reduce this disparity as much as possible...and the Nepali make this very difficult. It's very obvious that you're being ripped off but you can't let it get to you because, of course, it's Just The Way It Is.

Sometimes, though, the shopkeepers knowingly or unknowingly win you over enough that you don't care. Take purchasing DVDs …I was in the market for a few box sets and had picked up 3 (as it's always better to purchase things in groups to get a good price).On inquiring of the price for the 3 sets, I was informed that the price was on a per-disc basis. Or, as the Nepali man said, per-dick.

"Pardon me?"

"The cost is 200 rupees per dick. But for you I give you special price of 175 rupees per dick"

"Er, say again?"

"See, this box has 6 dick, this 6 dick, this 2 dick. In total you have 14 dick. So 14 d*** times 175 rupees per dick..."

"Ohhhhh I see. Can you do the lot for 2000 rupees?"

"oh no madam"

"What about 160 rupees per DiiiisssssssssssssssssssssssssssssKKKKK?"

"No, no, no! You see - this is not Nepali dick, this is better dick. Nepali d*** not good dick. I show you, see this dick?"

"Ok, ok."

It was too funny so I forked over the 175 rupees per dick, desperatly trying to contain the laughter that was bubbling up at the time. Now I just hope they work...