Surely you have heard the expression that you are more of a cheat or deceiver than a carpet salesman.
You will be able to verify the meaning of this expression during your trip through morocco…well, surely you are going to see yourself before a carpet seller.
I am going to tell you about my recent experience during the visit of the Medina of Tetouan, northern morocco, an enclave that you may not know is declared Heritage awarded by the Unesco.
I made this visit with some friends accompanied by Abdul, a local guide from Tetuan.
Although we advised you that we had no interest in buy rugs, the truth is that if we wanted to go up to the terrace of the building that houses a store with various typical products of Morocco, a common appointment for tourists.
It is a large house that contains artistic corners and from whose terrace you have good panoramic views of the Medina of Tetouan.
The fact is that when we came down from the terrace he came to greet us very attentively and in very correct Spanish... carpet seller, who began his “performance.”
First of all, since “we are friends”, sit down and have some tea.
After a while of “friendly” chat, they offer, simply for information purposes, to introduce us to the wide range of rugs they have, detailing the peculiar characteristics of each one of them.
Get ready because from that moment on, with the help of a partner, begin a display of information, opening and showing each of the different types of rugs they have in the store.
Of course, out of politeness you are going to listen to him, and you will surely be curious to know the prices of some rugs, even if it is to give up and “cut” the price. carpet salesman performance.
But you will realize that you are dealing with an expert seller...because he will not give you the prices until he finishes showing you all the rugs that he wants to show you, always emphasizing their great “quality” (touch it, touch it…)
Finally…the time comes to know the prices, which becomes one of the highlights of their “performance”.
It explains how to say yes (na'am) and not (laa) in Arabic, and from there, he frantically picks up each of the rugs, which he shows you again, and you have to tell him na'am in case you want to know its price.
In this way, two separate piles are formed, the one with the rugs whose price you want to know, and the one with the ones you throw away.
From here, I once again review the pile of rugs in which you are supposedly interested (at this point in the story I remind you...that we did not want to buy rugs), and one by one it tells you their prices, yes, always "prices". of friends".
I can tell you that they are very inflated prices, so if it turns out that you are interested in one, even if it is to compensate for their sales effort, calculate that you do not have to pay more than a third of the price they offer you.
If you do not have experience in haggling, you must keep in mind that to get said final price, you must offer a lower one.
If you directly ask him your final price, the rug seller himself will remind you that this is a negotiation, so he will force you to raise your offer, while he lowers his, until you finally reach an agreement.
If the seller is very “aggressive”, as was our case, you may feel somewhat forced into the purchase, so it would be advisable to cut off the negotiation beforehand, telling him that you have no interest in buying, remaining firm in this position.
That does not prevent you from appreciating the commercial capacity and “art” displayed by the albombra seller to a large extent.
ORGANIZE your TRIP
- Don't forget your TRAVEL INSURANCE with a 5% discount
- Book the HOTEL for your trip
- RENT a CAR for your trip
- The best TOURS and EXCURSIONS in Spanish
- NO-LINE TICKETS for museums and monuments
- Best FREE TOURS around the world
- Book your TRANSFER from the airport
- eSIM card with INTERNET at the best price
In summary, since I bet you that you will leave the store with a purchased rug (even if you have no initial interest), as a final piece of advice it is key that you do not let yourself be fooled in the negotiation (remember, do not pay more than a third of the price that I initially asked you)…and take the opportunity to choose a rug that you will really want to put in your home.
Do you have your own experience with a carpet salesman?
Yes, I have an experience and of course, it is negative. I will specify. I was interested in one of the rugs they had on display, very pretty, and I asked its price. They told me €1000 but that they could ask if it could be reduced to €600. They left it for me at that price and for me to accompany them to talk to the owner of the store. When I paid them, already in another room, they told me that they were going to wrap it and that in a moment they would have it perfectly packed. The pressure from the group that was in a hurry and that the times were calculated prevented me from doing any research because everything seemed very set up to me. Once at home it seemed to me that the carpet was not the same because the packaging was not done in my presence. The carpet that they “placed” on me was nice but it was not the same, I imagine that they would all do the same operation and that the ones they had on display would be the “hooks” to later carry out the fraud. They know that you arrive in a hurry and they take advantage of it. I recommend NOT TO BE SEPARATED FROM THE SELECTED PIECE AT ANY TIME.
The shitty old man who almost forced me to get a rug, and he reduced it from 80 euros to 60 euros, cheated me, because the rug I chose was not the one he brought me when he handed it over wrapped in paper and the guy already had to leave the store quickly, that is the strategy of these scoundrels who trick tourists who are in a hurry, I have the photo of the first rug that I chose, and the other one that I received wrapped does not even look similar, it is of a simpler design and surely cheaper, the way these characters sell is very unpleasant, it was the black point of the walk and I could not enjoy the beauty of the place and the other products, you should not catch these merchants because they are very disloyal and are not honest in their dealings.