Sari, But Can't You Make A Friend A Better Offer?

My Wife Dressed Up In A Traditional Sari

     The last time I was in Jaipur, my wife Maggie and myself went to the Sanjay Bazaar.  We were in search of some handmade textiles to bring back to the states for several family members.  For those who do not know, Jaipur is the epicenter for amazing homemade fabrics, especially silk, at bargain base prices.  So as we walked through this exotic market place, we came across this enchanting little shop that only sold textiles.  As we entered this tiny store in the middle of the bazaar, I was immediately overwhelmed by a kaleidoscope of colors.  The place was chalked full of the most beautiful fabric that I had ever seen.  They had a bounty of silks scarves, cashmere blankets, and an assortment of unique fabric in every color possible, and many of these bolts were decorated with the most incredible designs imaginable.  The owner of this humble establishment kindly asks us to sit down and have a fresh cup of chi tea with him.  Here in this exotic city of Jaipur, a shop is treated like an extension of a persons home, so it is essential to be respectful while you are looking for that all so important gift or souvenir.  As a whole, shop keepers in India are extremely inviting and just so full of hospitality.  As you can imagine, a shopping experience here is not a quick in and out ordeal, but rather a more intimate affair. 

  When our tea is poured for us, we strike up a pleasant conversation and get to know a little bit about one another.  This is typically done in order to create a relationship of mutual respect for the buyer and the seller.  This way nether of the individuals will try to exploit the other one in the up coming negotiation.  We talked about our home towns, our families, and about India in general.  So after or conversation and a spot of tea, our host starts to bring out merchandise for us to peruse.  This includes several elegant bolts of silk.  These delicate pieces of material are endowed with the most intricate of designs.  Our host carefully explained how his wife and daughter hand print each silk with precision.  They take a hand carved wooden block and dips it into a variety of organic dyes.  These dye laden blocks are carefully placed upon the fabric and are pressed down into the cloth.  This allows for the dye to permeate the material and for the image to be placed on it.  This technique is repeated over and over again in order to create these intricate designs that even a Maharajah would be proud of. 

     After my wife picked out several pieces that she could not be without, we began the bargaining process.  Bargaining in India is not only commonplace, but it is expected.  All of the prices that you will encounter are negotiable, and the locals really enjoy exchanging offers for goods.  To most, this is the ultimate game, and they love to come out on top.  To be successful in the world of Indian bargaining, you need to start by making an offer around 50 percent of the asking price.  The dealer will in turn, make you a counter offer.  You should again make a lower offer, usually somewhere between your offer and the new one that the shop keeper just made you.  Then the shopkeeper will counter your offer with a new one.  This will continue, until you and the shop keeper have come to a consensus.  If all goes well, you will walk away with the goods you wanted at a slightly reduced rate and the shopkeeper will make enough profit to keep his business thriving.  When we finally left the store, we had bought a bolt of green silk for my sister-in-law to make curtains with, a shawl for my mother-in-law and a traditional sari for my wife.  Shopping in India can challenging, time consuming, and always involves some sort of bargaining, but it is also a great way to learn about the amazing culture of India and it's remarkable people.

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