Ask and ye shall receive
![ask and ye shall receive ask and ye shall receive](https://www.idlehearts.com/images/ask-and-you-shall-receive.jpg)
He is in charge of purchasing for a large organization and obviously has more buying power and clout than a small business. I easily ask for a discount if I’m buying six pashminas as presents in Mumbai but had never even considered requesting a discount for bulk buys in Sydney, London or Chicago - and certainly not on any goods or services related to my business. There have been times when I’ve successfully negotiated a lower price for some souvenir - but then given the proprietor more than agreed, as I still thought it was a bargain and liked them and/or their story. I’m not much of a negotiator at the best of times, but as a tourist I try my best to play the game in a good spirited fashion.
![ask and ye shall receive ask and ye shall receive](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61TuVsjnzaL.jpg)
![ask and ye shall receive ask and ye shall receive](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/2IE7qC5hi8w/hqdefault.jpg)
It’s almost a game to bargain in these locations (although I’ve been mildly annoyed with friends who haggle with a poor shop owner over a few cents by our Western standards which would be substantially more appreciated by a merchant in an emerging nation who has an extended family to feed). Only the most naïve customers would readily pay the first price quoted by the vendors. In the night market of Shanghai or the Grand Bazaar of Istanbul and many other parts of the world - bargaining is the norm.