THE NEW HUNGARIAN VOICE FALL 2003 (Read-Only)

THE ART OF
BARGAINING:
TRANSYLVANIA
9
Is there an art to bargaining I didn’t think so until I was
kicked out of a shop in Korond, a little village in the Székely
region of Erdély (Transylvania)!
It is hard not to get carried away with trying to stretch
those last few lei in a place like Korond. This charming little
village along the highway between Szėkelyudvarhely and
Marosvásárhely is lined from one end to other with shops and
stands full of local handy-crafts. There are beautiful hand
sewn or knitted items, pottery, woodcarvings and leather
works. Often, the ‘shops’ are little more than tables and
clotheslines in front of the seller’s house. Even the fences and
gates are put to good use
by having sweaters and
tablecloths hanging from
them. Rather than detract,
the lack of a mall or
market type of setting
adds to the ‘folksy’ ambience
of the town.
While some might
make the mistake of
assuming this means the
seller is a local farmer or
average peasant, the truth
is these villagers have had
years of sales experience
and know quite thoroughly
the price their
goods can fetch. That is
why at the beginning of the season (around May) before the
tourists have started to arrive in great numbers, the prices are
quite a bit lower than later in the summer. In July and August,
the tour buses and car loads of German and Hungarian tourists
arrive and the prices are significantly increased.
Bargaining is quite a difficult skill to acquire. Especially
since the methods subtly change, depending on where you are
in the world. Coming from a place like Canada, where bargaining
is saved for ‘big ticket’ items such as homes and cars;
haggling over the price of something small, like cheese in a
market, seems rather foreign. Add to that the fact that in this
case the price was being set for local artwork, and the whole
transaction becomes even more difficult. On the one hand, I
don’t want to be a ‘sucker’ of a tourist, but on the other hand I
don’t want to offer an unfair price for something that has been
crafted locally by hand.
Could this be the reason my friends and I were (not so
politely) asked to leave a shop in the middle of August Was it
because during my first trip to Korond in May, that was a
reasonable price, but in
August it was insultingly
low Or, was it because she
figured out that we were
non-natives, merely accompanied
by someone with a
local Hungarian accent
After all everyone knows
that there is a different price
for locals than for tourists.
Or, was it impatience with
too much bargaining since
another tourist would come
along shortly and pay the
asking price I guess I’ll
never know. And really, I
have to expect to run into
some problems when I am
trying to acquire a new skill. On the bright side, I had far more
successes than failures. I consider myself lucky to have quite a
number of lovely items from Korond in my apartment.
So, for those of you heading to Erdély this summer or next,
stop in Korond if you have a chance. Don’t be afraid to make a
bargain or two. If you get out of line, the locals will be happy
to let you know!
Audra Blazkow