The souk in the city of Fes in Morocco is an ancient shopping center with lots of narrow alleys crowded, with shops and stalls. In the souk, people are making deals. This is business. Moroccan-style, and many people in the souk are bargaining (议价) as hard as they can.
All the sales happen face to face; it's very personal and very busy! The vendors(摊贩) have everything a shopper could possibly want. There are sandals next to fish bowls, and nearby, birds in cages watch the whole scene. In the souk, there really is something for everyone. A visit to the souk is a lesson in Moroccan bargaining culture. For visitors, the question is not What should I buy?" but "How should I buy it?" That's where they get a real education in making a deal.
A Dutch couple talk about what they have learned so far in the souk. "You have to start somewhere around one third of the price they say at first. And then you bargain up to 50 percent,"said the husband. "And they go down twice as hard as we go up with the price! Then you get it at a much lower price than the original one," added his wife. It's really a game. The Moroccans are very good at bargaining and probably the best in the world. Visitors, however, had better be careful!Beginners at bargaining pay more. Sometimes 20 to 30 percent more than the price the Moroccan people pay.
The vendors of the souk are not trying to cheat customers. It's more like a test to find out who is the strongest bargainer. The real test for any bargainer is the carpet shop, where the sellers really pressure customers to buy something. Sometimes, strong salesmen don't give up easily! One English tourist explains, "Once you end up in a shop, you sit there drinking tea, and you say "I don't want to buy anything But then he's like, Well, just offer a price. . .500? What's your best price?'And you're like,"We don't want to buy it. ' And they said,"OK, 300!"
