Punta Cana, Dominican Republic – The young man's slender fingers chattered across the well-worn, blue plastic calculator that was to serve as our negotiation tool.
You'll be a fan of our prices.
Atop the glass-covered display case filled with baubles of laramite and onyx, and other brightly coloured trinkets, sat half a coconut – our "shopping cart" – which contained a pair of cheap plastic rings.
"$75," the calculator blinked, proffering its first volley.
I did, too, half expecting a winky-face emoji to follow.
Stifling a chuckle, I thought, "So, this was where we were to start negotiating." Nevermind the fact we had bought a similar ring the day previous for a mere $5, or that it would likely have cost no more than a dollar or two back home in Canada.
In relation to other places I've traveled, I have not found the majority of business people in the Dominican Republic to be overly pushy, but haggling is still central to the buying process – and to the culture. It can be tempting to decide you don't wish to endure the hassle of negotiating, but doing so is to embrace and respect the cultural experience. What may only be a couple dollars to you is often quite significant in the developing world.
Simply giving in to the first offer does nobody any favours: you pay a lot more than you should, the next tourist willing to bargain will pay more, and both sides miss out on the social aspect of the experience. Naturally, each side wants the better deal, but the back-and-forth is akin to a dance so important to many cultures.
We offered $10 and were – to be expected – told the amount was an insult, even though we had bought one for half that. "Not the same, mi amigo," came the reply. Walking out hastened a flurry of activity and a promise to accept our price.
This willingness to accept our price with so little effort devoted to negotiating made it abundantly obvious there was room for further reductions
In the Dominican Republic, the dance takes patience, and time.
