Tuesday, March 17, 2009

How to Bargain and Get the Best Prices

Ever wondered why you paid a higher price than your friend for the same item? What made the seller quote a higher amount to you? What could you have done to get the best bargain?

Back from the US after living there for two years, I'd forgotten the art of haggling. But after setting up my home in India from scratch, I think I've re-learned the tricks a bit :)
A few tips that can be of help:
  1. Remember that the seller wants to sell the item to you. So, you're always at advantage.
  2. Do NOT be shy to bargain.
  3. Do NOT wear expensive clothes or in general give an impression that you can spend a lot of money. If you have two vehicles, take the cheaper one to go shopping.
  4. Start shopping early in the day as the shopkeepers do not want to turn away the first customers and will offer their best prices.
  5. Know what is the right price for the item you want to buy. Before you decide on what you want to buy, ask your friends/relatives and survey the market a little to know how much you can bargain. Some shops quote much higher price and require much more haggling than others.
  6. Even if you're not sure, pretend that you know a lot about the prevailing market price and about the product.
  7. Mention repeatedly that the price on offer is "too high".
  8. Never appear too impressed with the item you want to buy. That will make the seller's need to sell more than your need to buy and hence give you an advantage.
  9. If you want really good deals, do not go to prettier or expensive looking shops, they would have higher margins of profit and hence higher prices.
  10. It's best to mention that you were referred to this shop by someone so they know that you're aware of the prices and the quality of products available there. And you may also get a little more discount that way.
  11. Quote a final figure that you're willing to pay and be prepared to walk away if the seller doesn't agree. In most cases, they will re-quote a price slightly higher than yours, but stick to yours if you know that is what you want to pay. Better still, in the beginning itself, quote a lower price so it is open to increase. You may even be pleasantly surprised if you get that low price.
  12. You can get much better bargains at flea/street markets since the sellers there have lesser profit margins.
  13. Remember that you will always get a product much cheaper if you buy it directly from the maker/producer. So, find out if you have some exhibitions or sellers from other regions of the country directly selling their products.
  14. Off-season products are easiest to bargain. For instance, sellers want to get rid of their woollens at the end of winters and would be more open to decreasing the price.

Note that these tips can't be used in a fixed-price shop. So, make sure you know that the shop is open to bargaining (the "fixed-price shop" sign may be misleading). You can bargain at most of the shops that don't carry a price tag because they usually quote different prices to different people. Bargaining is a skill that can be easily acquired. But it does need some patience, knowledge and an urge to save money.

I'm sure many of you have your own tips or stories. Please feel free to share those in the comments.

Happy Shopping!

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Why the World Still Needs Feminists?

fem-i-nism: "The doctrine advocating social, political, and all other rights of women equal to those of men."

This post is two days late for the International Women's Day but I believe that every day is women's day. Why do women need a special day in the year to be recognized and celebrated? Shouldn't everyday be a celebration of womanhood? But the truth is far from it.
Women the world over, not only in India, are abused physically, sexually and mentally.
In India, every three minutes, a crime is committed against a woman. Every six hours, a young married woman is burned, beaten to death or driven to commit suicide. And according to the third National Family Health Survey published in 2006 (NFHS 3), over 40 percent of Indian women have been victims of domestic violence at some stage in their lives.
Domestic violence is not restricted to an illiterate or poor population. 60 percent of women killed in the United States are victims of domestic violence, and it is the leading cause of injury among women in the age group of 15 - 44. In an educated country like Switzerland, statistics show that 12.6% of Swiss women suffer from physical violence, while 11.6% have faced sexual violence.
And we're not listing the small but awful acts against females such as stalking, eve-teasing, purdah, curbing freedom etc.

This is why we need women education and independence. We need feminists to bring justice to such women, to raise awareness about such crimes and to help the abused women lead a normal life.

Why do you think women, especially the ones who are educated, bear all this abuse? One of the reasons is social conditioning. Many women are raised in their family to agree to what their men say. Another big reason could be that these women don't feel confident to live independently, to raise their voice against injustice and don't think they have enough moral/financial support. Also, the social stigma, especially in India, associated with women who go against their men or family is a big deterrent. In all these cases, education and hence financial independence would play a key role in helping the women out of such situations.

Many urban men think that women have all the freedom and rights in the society and that feminists are women who want much more than equality.
I do agree that there are some women who try to take advantage of their womanhood to get special privileges. But who says all women are perfect?

For centuries, women have been considered by men (
fathers, brothers or husbands) as their or their family's property/pride.
I wish such men would know the answer to the eternal question of "What women want". This was so correctly answered in the story of King Arthur and the Witch. A woman only wants to be in charge of her own life, to have the freedom to choose. And when all the women in the world get this freedom, there'll be no need of feminists.
Until then, all you men out there, let the feminists do their job.