8 ways to steal a bargain deal in Indian markets

Be it a colourful top hanging on the hooks or a ripe bottle gourd dangling from the vegetable vendors racks, the local Indian markets are full of charisma, personality and character. Adding to this is the vendor- visitor conversation, a dominant part of which is the concept of bargaining. It is said that no experience in the local markets is complete, if one doesn’t bargain. Of course, one needs to know where to bargain and where not, which includes leaving out fixed price shops, branded shops and very small vendors. But otherwise bargaining is an art which one needs to know to sustain themselves in the Indian local markets.

How to land a good bargain deal in Indian markets?

Next time you venture out into any Indian market, here are a few tricks that you should try out to land yourself the best deals.

Be polite: Being aggressive doesn’t help in these situations. You have to be very sift, polite and talk sensitively. Moreover, start addressing the vendor as elder brother or sister / uncle / aunt to build familiarity. This helps to get yourself in their good books and they mostly offer you a better price than they initially quoted.

Request them a lower price: Once you hear the initial price, do a quick mental calculation and counter them with a price that is 30-40% lower than what they stated. For instance, if the original price is quoted at Rs 1000, start with Rs 750. Going unnecessarily low, may be a put off and completely stop the conversation.

Maintain calm posture: Always have a sense of inquiry while checking out the object. Your face should be neutral. Upon hearing the initial quote, if you find it cheaper, keep it to yourself. Try to lessen it by a few more rupees.

Make a combo: If you purchase quite a few things for a particular vendor, they often tend to give you more discounts. Sellers are usually prone to giving more discounts when the quantity is higher compared to the discount they give if you buy only one item.

Time is crucial: Vendors often tend to give in if you visit their shop at the end of the day or right in the morning when they are just opening.

The ‘other’ shop: One of the most effective ways of bargaining is to produce the line ‘the ‘other’ shop is offering a lower price. This makes the vendor feel competitive and they ultimately settle down for a lower cost price.

Walking Away: When you tend to walk away in the middle of enquiry, especially after trying to negotiate the price, the vendors often call you back and offer a mid-point price.

Small Cash: While transaction has mostly moved to online, there are some Indian markets which still work on a cash-only mode. For them, always have a purse with a few hundred notes. Sometimes verbally saying that you have X amount of cash works. At times, people tend to open their wallets and show the money. Vendors often think that’s the real deal, or since they are unable to ask for digital payments, they accept the bargained price.  

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