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General Street Vendors

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Kiryo
Kiryo
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General Street Vendors

  • May 15, 2006
  • Rated 5 of 5 by Kiryo from Chicago, Illinois
General Street Vendors

Street Shopping Scenes in Colombia:

Hectic, All-over, and Manageable!

Just like any other public street market scene on our planet, if you do not mind mingling with locals, and I do mean MINGLING, then public marketplaces can be quite rewarding experiences. This includes going to the ever-present San Andresitos, located in pretty much every Colombian city that has a self-respecting street/building market. The San Andresito is very much like the old black market areas of Japanese cities like Tokyo and Osaka… FULL of people, lots of negotiations going around, and plenty of pick pockets for those that make themselves easy targets, at least in the urban centers. To the San Andresito in Cartagena I will devote a future entry as there are more things to be said in detail about that one in particular.

What to do when you ask nicely but with firmness on the first try for something that you like? Well, expect to be quoted a price that to your pocket will seem economical… until you consider that you haven’t even started to haggle. So here goes… if you really like it, but are not convinced by the salesperson’s willingness to negotiate, then so be it. Just say your thanks, have a nice day, and keep walking. Otherwise, say the price is too much and make an offer right there that suits your taste—usually from 30-35% less than the salesperson offers. Hence the bidding war begins. At this point, would settling on 15% of the salesperson’s price be fair to you? Probably, yes. But remember that you are training the salesperson for the next customer that shows interest in the same item the next time around, and many a times prices go up slightly from customer to customer, so buy low if possible. I cannot stress the importance of being polite while you shop with these folks, and do remember that you are probably haggling over what is pocket change to you. If you really like the person and plan on returning, or you say you will return (especially if you agree to show up for something the salesperson has been asked to locate for you), then please, return to patronize the salesperson. Colombians are extremely hard workers and deserve much more for the work they do.

I will not include a list of shopping colombianismos, but they will be absolutely necessary during the negotiations phase of your street market experiences. The minimum you should know is “¿a cuanto me lo da?” (how much will you sell this to me?) which in street market terms means “what special price will you give me on this?” If you ask, you’ll be surprised. If vendors are tired, or if inventory sales are going slow that day, expect prices to drop. Even better is to go in the low season, as prices are also lower then.

This is a quintessential shopping activity in Colombia.

From journal General Experiences in Colombia

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