What Price You Happy?

A Rug Vendor

Every Friday, local vendors set up their wares to sell to the ISAF HQ population. Scarves are a big draw, along with rugs and jewelry.

All the prices are negotiable, and it's not unusual for a piece to have an asking price of $80, then sell for $20. Not that the vendor would be averse to taking your $80, but he's doing alright with the $20.

The typical pitch begins with a handshake that doesn't let go... or an invitation to "Look my shop," and an explanation that it's free to look. Find something you like and want to know how much it'll set you back? The answer is almost always "What price you happy?" because clearly, your happiness is the vendor's only concern, what with you two being best friends forever and all that.

 Haggling ensues. You know you're making progress when the vendor leans in very close and whispers an amount, as if he doesn't want the guy in the next booth (or any other potential customers) to know his secret price. My most effective technique? Walking away after the vendor has already put the item into the bag. That seems to trim $5 off the price pretty regularly.

While the vendors can get a little aggressive with their sales pitches, not everyone gets the same treatment. My Romanian buddy Bogdan tends to get brushed off with a "Romanian - no money." We might tease him a little about that, but the joke's on us. Prices for Americans are much higher than other nationalities, and Bogdan can pick stuff up for a fraction of what I'd pay.

Because of that, we tend to team up. I've got a Macedonian friend named Goran who's a pretty good haggler. We either make arrangements in advance or subtly indicate what we like. Then Goran does his thing. Not sure if we're really fooling anyone, but it seems to work out alright for all concerned.

Srecko modeling a
scarf & hat with
a scarf vendor

I got a high compliment after personally negotiating for some jackets. "You are not real American," the guy said, shaking his head over the low price we'd just agreed on. Again, not sure how much of that was theater, but I was pretty happy with the price... and Goran later said he was impressed I'd only paid $40 for two crazy-soft sheepskin leather jackets.

The market is actually part of the counter-insurgency strategy. It connects ISAF with some of the locals, provides jobs and stimulates the economy. In several ways, buying scarves contributes to the mission. So really, the weekly shopping trip is just one more part of the job.