If you are the sort of person who doesn’t complain when their food arrives two hours late and looking like it’s been chewed on by a dog beforehand then you might not last very long on the streets of Marrakech.
Morocco’s ‘Red City’ will send you red in the face if you don’t quickly become street wise enough to know that everyone is out to make and save a buck or two.
It’s not done in a nasty or deceitful way. It’s simply how they run things. Your days of trying desperately to knock the odd penny or cent off the price of something in a second-hand shop will seem like playschool after you’ve been to Marrakech.
First of all you need to know that there is very little in the whole of Marrakech that has a fixed price. Don’t just think of trinkets on a stall in a market however. We’re talking beers, food, bus fares and even hotel rooms sometimes. The Moroccans love to haggle and the second thing you need to know is they are very very good at it.
When you walk around the maze of the city, if you look like you’re a tourist then the locals will fly around you like mosquitoes showing you what they have to sell to you and assuring you that not only do you absolutely need the item but also that it’s the best price in the world. It’s not. Prices seem to have been plucked from thin air in some cases. A quick example being a very cheap Fez made from card, some velvet and a tassel probably cost under a £1 to make but worked out as over £20 as a starting price. If you aren’t confident, hugely suspicious and quick with your maths then you could get stung every day for the whole trip. So assume everything that everyone is selling is at least double than what you should pay.
Whether you’re buying leathers, lights, lanterns or lattes you’ll find a man running after you convincing you he’d be starving his children is he sold what you wanted for anything less. The best way to get what you want for the price you want is to have a good look at the item but then walk away as quickly as you can without showing any interest in it any more than anything else. Then do exactly the same at other stalls but make sure you compare the quality and prices of the item you want. Then head back to the stall where it was cheapest and start to barter.
Have a figure in your head and stick to it.
Make it one you feel it fare considering the other items you saw. The stall holder will then shake his head at you, as though you’re about to get laughed out of the country, but don’t worry, he knows it’s a fair price and also he knows at that point that this is probably going to be what he sells it for so he’s getting as used to it as much as you.
Then your simple tactic has to be one of firmness.
Walk away and say ‘no thanks’ and I assure you he’ll come running after you. Keep shaking your head and walking away until he drops to the price you want. He won’t follow you forever so don’t worry. Ignore him until he agrees. It’s hard but it works.
The only annoying part of this is that when you genuinely don’t want the item anymore there’s not really any way you can distinguish between this and expert bartering so at that point you might have to start running.
Holiday Apartments in Marrakech, Morocco:
- Residence Assounfou - From €59 per night
- Flat Appart Slimania - From €77 per night
- Palemeraie Village – From €87.5 per night
- Le Domaine de l’Ourika – From €100 per nigth
Photo of Marrakech souk, Morocco, by Vtveen
Topic: How to Tuesday |
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Tags: Marrakech, shopping
About the author
Phil is a freelance writer working on various writing and editing projects ranging from feature film scripts to travel writing. He enjoys writing from experience and sharing information on the many places he has visited over the years
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