Getting hassled on holiday by locals

[LittleMissUnreasonable]

I've arrived on holiday a couple of days ago and can't believe how off-putting to business some of the locals are. The two main examples so far;

• Going to a market to have a look around, and wanting to buy some gifts.

Market trader: "Madam do you want to buy this scarf" Me: "No thanks just looking at the moment" "I can give you a good price" "No thank you" "I can sell for x" I end up just walking away as I have ASD and can't concentrate on what I actually want to buy and it's overwhelming someone getting in my face trying to sell something I'm not looking at.

Second scenario was a taxi ride
"When are you going home, I can do airport taxis"
"22nd, we have a taxi sorted thank you"
"I can do it for 15 ( example amount, much higher than our booked one)
"No thanks, we have it booked cheaper for 10 " (true)
"I can do it for 12.50"
"No thanks , we have a cheaper one booked"
He then gets arsey and moody so we have a quiet journey. 5 minutes later he hands us a business card and asks us to contact him if we need a driver. Yeah sure, a miserable man who tried to offer an inflated price for a journey we already sorted, and got irritated we didn't accept...

I don't want to name the country because I don't want to give bad opinions to someone who might want to go, but it's Asia (the Thailand/Indonesia/Malaysia/Philippines sort of vibe). But Im surprised that people think this is a way to get business. I saw loads of people looking at the markets before being scared off by persistent sellers.

Does anyone else feel the same?

Agree with the others about this being the culture in tourist areas in poor countries and I don't blame the people for having to do this.

My travel advice is not to give details like when you are leaving for safety reasons. It's ok to say "no" then stop talking to them. They are living in a place with no benefits etc so everyone has to battle for every penny or they starve.

This. You travel to learn about different cultures and experiences.

Its just part of the package of travelling to certain countries/regions.

they do it to everyone no just women as someone stated.

obviously for you its different so not a suggestion for you but as someone from one of those regions I do advise for others who might not be keen to learn the ‘art of bartering’ 🤣 otherwise you are likely getting ripped off if you’re paying the asking prices. they usually hike up the prices to allow room to barter.

Different countries have different cultures, and that includes etiquette around buying and selling.

I get it can be uncomfortable if you’re not used to it (I found visiting markets in Morocco challenging for the same reason).

But you can’t expect people to drastically change how they do business in case a tourist doesn’t like it… that’s wildly unfair and quite self-centred.

Apt username :)

Or even better, learn how to deal with them, which most people do, and is why OP has posted I guess.
Don't forget that normal defense mechanisms don't always come naturally to those with autism, or even just everybody.
Once you have learned how to handle them (and some people have given decent tips, not just "don't go back), it isn't so bad.

We had this in Cyprus, walk down the main strip and a woman/man would be standing outside their restaurant beckoning you in. We’d scan the menu then walk away… it was bloody awkward! I know they want the business but the pushiness put me off too!

My dn and her dh got locked in a shop in Turkey until they bought something.
They were terrified.
My dn was raised in Cairo so it's not like she doesn't understand the culture.
Some shopkeepers are a*holes.

If I'm not in the mood, I just say something like
"je ne parle pas anglais" and make out I can't understand them!

I also say I'm not UK resident (which is true) to charities on the street as they are all after direct debit commitments but you need a UK bank account for this.

@Mistressanne that's terrible. But OP isn't talking about such an extreme situation.

This is very Sex and the City movie in Abu Dhabi.

But you can’t expect people to drastically change how they do business in case a tourist doesn’t like it… that’s wildly unfair and quite self-centred.

Hmmm...it might be good business practice, though!

If they want tourists to buy, then perhaps change tactics so as not to put them off? That's what I don't get - it must be counter-productive.

This is a perfect example of what Americans label as "white people's problems".

😂

With the market thing you say a firm no, by saying that you are just looking makes the trader think there is still opportunity to sell something.

With regards to the taxi vague details (we are from London) or a white lie may have helped. Sorry we are on a package holiday and there is a coach or you could say that you are unsure of your flight time and take one of his cards.

If you don't like this style of selling, stay at home. Why do you expect people to change their own customs do accommodate you?

Also these countries are pretty diffrent from one another: Thailand/Indonesia/Malaysia/Philippines

Don't be a tourist anywhere that you don't like the local culture. Don't be a tourist without researching what the local culture is like. Don't think the UK or wherever your home country is sets a normative standard that all other places should conform with

Did you do no research before you went? Next you'll be telling us you visited an elephant "sanctuary" and that the elephants were "happy and well cared for" because they spent all day in mud baths...

A polite but very firm ‘No thank you’ has worked for me.

Seriously, stop thinking about it and enjoy your holiday. People have to make a living.

Learn how to say a firm but polite, "no...thank you" in the relevant language and then just keep walking. If you say it confidently enough even the most persistent traders will back off, assuming you know the area and aren't worth pestering.

Why are you trying to make this about sexism? It’s not. These people are perfectly happy to hassle anyone, man or woman, to try and get their business. My husband gets pestered by them on holiday just as much as I do.

I'm surprised that the OP hadn't expected this especially in the area she's travelling, when we used to go to Egypt quite a lot I loathed shopkeepers saying 'Asda price', 'lovely jubbly' etc., as though this made him and his wares more appealing.
When we lived in a Med place beloved of cruise ships I was in somewhere to buy a gift to send home, he quoted me a price, I laughed and said I live here, I'm not just off the boat! The price dropped by about 75% immediately.

The OP comes off as kinda racist.

It is the norm in some countries as an accepted way to do business.

But it can be overwhelming for some. I don't like people being all in my face when I want to look at things. And I also don't have the patience/time for all the negotiating and theatrics. So I ask them their name and say I'll give you a shout if I need anything. Polite, yet sets a boundary.

Some people love it though. DH will barter and bargain with them, he sees it as the thrill of the chase. He's pretty good at it too. So I leave him to it and get to look at things in peace 😂

I would hardly class the OP's experience as hassle! This is extremely mild, and I would expect far far more persistence from sellers in most holiday destinations that I would usually go to. It's part of being in a different culture, and I've always found that being cheerful, polite, but firm stops people from pestering you.

I used to live in Asia, and one of those countries stands out to me as being very aggressive when you don’t buy IMO, but I won’t say which to avoid a pile on.

I once got approached there by an airport official who told me they had a special line for young families ( had baby and toddler at time), and we went with him to a vacant booth. After he processed our passports he asked my DH for US$30 and said we’d had special treatment. He didn’t get the money, and when asked again next time we visited, just declined the offer. In markets there, if you said no, you’d get abuse.

In the end I learnt just to avoid eye contact, smile a half smile, keep walking and don’t give it a second thought. In taxis just say, thanks, we are sorted. I found they don’t respect women so I got my DH who looks mean and moody to deal with anyone getting in my face and they backed off.