Tourist and Rude-Tourist Prices

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When I first went to Zambia, I bartered bitterly with everyone and was frequently offended when the price didn't come down much. One day, it occurred to me that the few pennies I was saving was probably a week's worth of food for this person, so I relaxed a bit.

Later, it dawned on me that the vendors don't really want to waste time haggling with an obnoxious person any more than I want to BE that obnoxious person, so I decided to just go in, make a fair offer, and if it was refused, I'd leave. This worked 9 times out of 10. The vendor almost always chased after me, saying my price was ok.

Being rude never helped the situation, and the loud, nasty tourists were making it worse for everyone. Be quiet, be polite, and -- above all -- be respectful. It goes waaaaay farther. If you're a snot, you deserve to pay a "fee" for being that snot.

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