Bargaining

Yesterday i had to travel from Chennai to Bangalore and as i am the sort who does not plan these things, my only option was to take the bus service. On arrival at the bus terminal i was met by a lot of ticket vendors and finally found one who was selling tickets to Bangalore. His price was almost double what i though the normal fare should be, so we started to bargain. Eventually he brought it down to 650 still a lot more than i was willing to pay. His reasoning for the price ... This bus is going to Goa via Bangalore, so that is why it is more expensive!!

Bargaining is a common trend in India. You can haggle over pretty much anything as long as ur not in a big department store. Infact, bargaining is a livelihood for some ppl; they act as a broker trying to sell a product at much higher than the original price inorder to pocket the difference. this scheme i guess would only work on the tourists since the penny pinching Indian is always ready to bargain. When it comes to bargaining knowing the language helps a lot and knowing ur surroundings too. But what i have found helps the most is acting like you dont want it. If you start to walk away they will drastically reduce the price. This tactic has worked on a few occasions. More on this later as i hone my negotiating skills. These skills will come in handy later in life.