The souk in the Rabat medina has some of the most beautiful items I have ever seen; elaborately decorated and designed Jellabas (traditional Moroccan female dress), adorable and fluffy scarves that are perfect for the cold weather, hand-painted pictures of Morocco, leather bags and jackets, and so forth. I knew coming to Morocco that it was a bartering culture, especially in the medina where most items are not at a set price or if they are, usually they can be lowered.
I was not expecting how much you could talk a price down to. I didn’t want to push any boundaries by giving a price that was too low and then not be able to buy the item I wanted, but I also didn’t want to be ripped off. I remember one time I came home and showed my host sisters the cute, colorful leather purse I had bought from the souk and was so proud that I had talked the price down from 250 dirhams to 230 dirhams (about $23 in the States). Their faces said it all. I had been ripped off. They gave the news to me gently and told me the purse was very cute, but that next time I wanted to buy something from the souk that I should have them go with me.
As the weeks went on, I learned from my own experiences and the helpful advice of some Moroccans how to barter correctly. My proudest purchase was in Fes when I went to a tannery place and was able to talk down a real leather backpack from 450 dirhams to 200 dirhams, which was over half off. So in case you ever go to Morocco (or another country where bartering culture is popular) here are some helpful tips:
- Don’t buy anything unless it is half of the original price.
- Try to speak in Darija (Moroccan Arabic) to the merchants because they will actually appreciate your attempt to speak with them in Darija (since it is almost completely different than other Arabic dialects and Modern Standard Arabic of Fusha) and will lower the price for you.
- If you pull out your wallet, make sure that they don’t see how much money you have because the more they see, the higher the price you will pay.
- When you see an item you really like at a stall, don’t show too much interest in it. Point to other items saying, “zouina” (cute in Darija) and ask the price for them, “bishel?” When you finally get to the item you want to buy, after they give you the price, say “bezzaf,” which means too expensive in Darija and then follow up with, “ana taleba,” which is “I am a student” for females or if you are a male, say “ana taleb.” The merchants will most likely lower the price and only one time have I had someone not lower the price for me when I told them that I was a student.
- If you really want an item or just want to go shopping, bring a Moroccan with you. The merchants usually raise the price much higher for foreigners because they, unlike Moroccans, probably do not know what the actual price of a scarf or purse is versus what they claim it is and may not be aware of how to barter or if bartering is acceptable at all.