Salesmen riding their emotional rollercoasters

Jeanne and I are quite tired of tolerating the Turkish sales people and their turbulent tactics. Yes, this is another gripe posting.

Walking down any street crowded with shops (especially in the tourist traps such as the grand bazaar at Istanbul, the walkway to Ephesus, Bodrum, Alanya, etc), we hear the following over and over and over:

"Yes, please."

"Where are you from?"

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Look here. Let me show you a menu"

It reminds me of the World Wide Web in 1997 - pop up ads with flashy animations everywhere, all vying for your attention in an attempt to direct you toward some overpriced product. Luckily, netvertisers learned that this tactic of pushing hard and screaming loud does not win the customer's favor as well as simple ads that provide information and allow people to easily make a purchasing decision or move on (thanks Google for spurring this widespread realization). In Turkey, it appears, the tourist-targeters have not had a similar realization. I guess it's cultural. I'm certain it's annoying.

But what really irks me is what happens if you don't play the game the way they expect, e.g., you still patronize them but don't let them cajole you into spending as much as they want. For example, yesterday in Bodrum we were walking down a row a restaurants that all appeared to serve the same food. As usual, each one had a pushy guy or two outside trying to lure us in. The prices were all pretty high (compared to the rest of Turkey), so I told one guy that his food was too expensive as we were walking by. He was all smiles and fiendly gestures. "I make good price for you", he relpied, beaming. So we commenced to negotiate over a plate of spaghetti. It was listed for 13. He said 8. I said 5. He had already served out a bowl of chicken stew for me (for 5), but I was ready to leave. I said, "okay, 8, but you give us 2 free teas" which would have been another 3 or 4 according to the menu. He agreed and then all of a sudden his mood changed. He went from cheery saleman pop up ad to skulking awnry restaurant industry worker. It was like he was mad at me for beating him at his own game.

Another waiter brought the food, which was pretty tasty, but then disappeared after we ate, so I had to ask Mr Grimace for our check. In fact, I had to ask him twice. He wasn't doing anything in particular, just standing near the front of the restaurant, not really making an effort to draw people in (another guy had taken the lead on that), so it was pretty obvious that he just wanted to make us wait. At last, he brought the bill and we paid. Although the food was good, the experience left a bad taste in my mouth. However, I am greatful for this type of encounter because it assuages my guilt for tipping less in this country than I do at home. I left this waiter a big fat 0%. :)

Similar encounters have occurred many times on this trip. 1) Shopkeeper gets mad when I ask for a lower price on a snorkel, snatches it out of my hands and turns his back on me (he wanted 14, I said 10, I eventually found one for 2.50). 2) Guy at bus company gets mad when I tell him that the other bus company was only charging 10 (he wanted 12). He tells me to go to the other bus company, which he knows is impossible because they don't have a bus that morning. I say okay to 12. He says now its 15. I start to get pissed but I realize he's just saying that to piss me off. He gives it to us for 12. 3) Shoe shiner asks if we want a shine. I show him that we're both wearing sandals. He says, "this is how I make a living." I don't know what to say - I'm not wearing shinable shoes - so we walk on. He curses at us in Turkish.

Anyway, it's been fun riding their emotional rollercoasters. Jeanne and I are planning to do some shopping in the grand bazaar before we go home. We'll make sure we've eaten long before we get on the ride.