I mean this is just a cultural difference. Of course as an American, where haggling is uncommon and not a part of societal norms, you will find it annoying.
In other countries, where retail sectors are not as standardized, haggling is seen as a form of social interaction and networking. It is, by all means, less efficient. But not every culture romanticizes productivity to the point of working / chasing a bag until you’re frail, incontinent and need to be put in a ‘home’.
The lack of efficiency is also antithetical to consumerism which is a cultural norm in many parts of the world where haggling is uncommon. You can buy 15 pieces of junk on Amazon in the amount of time it takes to haggle one peice of junk at a market. Which is more ‘normal’ depends on which part of the world you’re from.
Haggling in person is a completely different experience from online. You can fake your identity online, disappear randomly, and spam for the sake of spamming. It’s much harder to do that when you show up with your real face in a relatively close knit community.
Not in any way trying to dismiss your experience. I find it very uncomfortable as well but having South asian parents means that I’ve seen my fair share of such transactions and how they can have the interesting effect of bringing people together.
yea, the key to doing business offline here is to make friends. the service quality and prices you get are entirely dependent on it. i usually enjoy this aspect of the culture more than i am annoyed by it, but it depends on what I’m trying to get done. what you are saying is accurate of my experiences as well.
I mean this is just a cultural difference. Of course as an American, where haggling is uncommon and not a part of societal norms, you will find it annoying.
In other countries, where retail sectors are not as standardized, haggling is seen as a form of social interaction and networking. It is, by all means, less efficient. But not every culture romanticizes productivity to the point of working / chasing a bag until you’re frail, incontinent and need to be put in a ‘home’.
The lack of efficiency is also antithetical to consumerism which is a cultural norm in many parts of the world where haggling is uncommon. You can buy 15 pieces of junk on Amazon in the amount of time it takes to haggle one peice of junk at a market. Which is more ‘normal’ depends on which part of the world you’re from.
Haggling in person is a completely different experience from online. You can fake your identity online, disappear randomly, and spam for the sake of spamming. It’s much harder to do that when you show up with your real face in a relatively close knit community.
Not in any way trying to dismiss your experience. I find it very uncomfortable as well but having South asian parents means that I’ve seen my fair share of such transactions and how they can have the interesting effect of bringing people together.
yea, the key to doing business offline here is to make friends. the service quality and prices you get are entirely dependent on it. i usually enjoy this aspect of the culture more than i am annoyed by it, but it depends on what I’m trying to get done. what you are saying is accurate of my experiences as well.