Bartering in Costa Rica
People tend to not haggle in Costa Rica. Prices are as stated. When it comes to vagabonding in this country this is a slight obstacle. I was told that bartering is not part of the cultural construction of Costa Ricans when I first arrived, but I did not believe it until I began getting stray looks for trying to get hotel rooms cheaper than the stated price.
“Well, maybe, but I will have to ask the owner,” the hotel managers would say. It seemed as if nobody ever offered a lower price for a room before. I soon began to realize that people in Costa Rica really do not barter.
It is true, to suggest a lower price for an object is an odd thing to do here. I have not experienced this before in Latin America, as I have usually- with a little crafty talk- been able to get everything from hotel rooms to meals for less than the stated price. This is the habit that I have gotten into while traveling, as I know that cheap can always be cheaper. In Costa Rica I have been rattled a little.
Costa Ricans do not barter.
Wade from Vagabond Journey.com
Barva, Costa Rica
February 28, 2008
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