The Art of Bargaining...

Bargaining can go two ways. For some, it’s the most frusturating part of shopping in Tanzania and the market is avoided at all costs. For others, it’s one of their favorite parts of the culture, making shopping all the more fun as each purchase is an opportunity to get a great deal. At our first visit to the tourist side of the market filled with paintings, hand carved wood items, beaded jewelry and beautiful bright kitenge (an East-Africa cotton fabric) we warned the girls to beware of shop owners giving them high prices and that every item was up for bargain. They instantly shot off into all directions of the market doing ‘research’ and reconvened to tell each other where the best price was for this and that. Any worry I had about the students getting overcharged immediately vanished as they came back reporting lower prices than I had bargained for! This activity seems to have also strengthened their teamworking skill set as I often see them standing up for each other when a shop owner try’s to give a higher price than the previous day. It’s safe to say all the students of this group are naturals in the bargaining realm, let’s just hope they can fit all their new goodies in their suitcase!