One learns early on here in Bali that one must bargain with the people in certain places, such as a traditional market for instance, or people selling their wares on the beach, or in little local clothing shops. They will be offended if you don't bargain, we are told. I doubt that. But I do know that the price they first ask is way above what the item is worth, and of course they know this. So we as bargainers must try to determine how much to lop off this initial asking price.
I myself am not a fan of bargaining. For one thing, I don't know why one would want to buy these things anyway, and for another I'd just as soon pay the set price in a regular store--or if it seems too expensive, just don't buy it.
What one must learn over time, however, is that regular establishments may try to rip you off too. No, they're not setting their own price, but they are encouraging you to buy what is most expensive, banking on the possibility that the foreigner will just take their word for it, and that he doesn't know how to ask questions anyway in Indonesian.
For example, I went to Kimia pharmacy the other day looking for methylprednisolone. I go up to the counter, ask the pharmacist if he has methylprednisolone, and he says Yes, we do, and brings out a packet. There are ten tablets in the packet.
"How much?" I ask.
"Eighty-thousand."
"Huh? Eighty thousand! Wow, that's very expensive. Do you have another brand?"
"This one is the best," he says.
"Yeah, I don't care. What else you got?"
Glumly, the man returns the packet to a shelf behind the counter and comes back with another packet. There are ten tablets in the packet.
"How much is this one?" I ask.
"Umm ... Eight thousand."
Right. So I buy two of these for 16.000, rather than one for 80.000.
Gotta be on your toes, folks. And it helps if you can speak Indonesian too.
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