Hi again! So, one interesting thing about being here (I say that like there are only 10 interesting things as opposed to 10 million) is that for almost all services and products with a negotiable price; i.e. you can haggle; foreigners will almost definitely pay more. Some people here call this the "white tax" and some ex-Pats get pretty upset by it.
I guess it is a hold over from the times of British Rule and it is annoying in principle, but in reality I don't know. Almost every foreigner that comes here is, by Indian terms, pretty well off. People here generally earn much much less than we do - I don't even know if minimum wage exists. There are some very wealthy people, but - to give you an idea - my apartment here for just me would likely be something that a middle class family with 2-3 kids could afford.
This weekend I took a rickshaw ride and I knew that if I was Indian it would be 30 rupees, but that I would likely pay 40 or 50. He wanted 50. I tried to haggle down to 40 (the cast on my leg also puts me at a disadvantage when haggling with a rickshaw driver) but after about 10 seconds I gave up and jumped in. I realized that I was trying to pay $1 rather than $1.25 for a 20 minute ride and that this guy spends all day taking fares of a dollar or less and likely lives in a slum so really 25 cents extra is no big deal.
It is tricky when you live in a country where haggling is pretty much the norm to put it in perspective and realize when you are getting a good deal with a 10-20 rupee markup for being foreign, or when you are getting completely taken advantage of and they quadrupled the price.
I just ask other ex-Pats how much they think I should pay and use that as a jumping off point and hope for the best. I guess if I really want something the real question is how much is it worth to me?
Happy Wednesday! 10 a.m. here and bottom of the 8th for the Sox back in Seattle, they are up 4 - 0.
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2 comments:
Ali - cool story, interesting how different cultures work differntly. I get worked up when I rent a car in a differnt US city and have to pay for some stadium to be built, but its usually much more than $0.25 - keep the updates coming - hope the foots mending well so you can take some pictures soon
A lot of Latin American countries have different pricing for tourists too. (Argentina had 3 tiers... one for Argentineans, one for South Americans, and one for everyone else.)
I just kept in mind in India that you really were talking for little money. :)
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