Ran into a dude in Marrakech who taught me the plastic bottle trick for negotiating

He was selling rugs in the souk, and he told me to always carry a crushed plastic bottle in my bag to look like I'm hydrated and not desperate. I tried it at a spice stall, and the guy dropped his price by 40 dirhams on the spot. Anyone else use weird props to get better deals while traveling?

3 comments

3 Comments

cole_flores4413d ago

Plastic bottle tricks, beat up water bottles, come on man. It's a water bottle not a secret weapon. You just asked for a lower price and they said yes, the bottle didn't do anything magic. Loads of people carry water bottles in hot markets, it's not some rare pro move. People overthink haggling way too much, just be polite and firm about what you wanna pay.

gray_morgan13d agoTop Commenter

Wait, doesn't @keith_bennett's story kinda prove that the bottle itself helped set a different vibe though? Even if it's not some magic trick, if looking a little more rugged or local gets you tea and a better deal, isn't that basically the same thing? I mean, just being polite is solid, but the bottle seems like a small prop that shifts how they see you.

keith_bennett13d ago

Carried a beat-up, stained water bottle through a market in Cairo once. Didn't crush it, but it looked like I'd been hiking all day. The guy selling scarves saw me take a swig, and after that he was way more relaxed about haggling. He even offered me tea. I think it works because it makes you look like a local who knows what's up, not a tourist just wandering in. Simple trick but it really does help.