The bargainer¹⁵

Yesterday we went to buy something. I remained in the car and Vidhu and Databir went inside as my representatives. The man said, “Four hundred dollars.” I told them to go back inside and offer him three hundred. The message came back, “Four hundred!” This time I told them to say, “Two hundred.” He said, “Three seventy-five.” I said, “Two thirty-five.”

Finally he told them, “I am not going to sell it for less than three-fifty.” So I said, “Then I am not going to buy it. We are going to another place.” Then I felt sorry because I liked the thing so much. So I asked them to go back in and offer three hundred. He said, “No, three twenty-five.”

So it started again. I was arguing for three hundred, but he wouldn’t agree. Finally, he agreed and he sent his assistant, a black man, to talk to me. The man said, “It is very valuable.”

I told Databir and Vidhu, “Let them hate me for bargaining. I always ask for half price, because they always ask for two or three hundred dollars extra.” In India everyone always bargains. In America some shopkeepers say nasty things when you try to bargain. But they ask such an inflated price! Why give them so much money unnecessarily?