SOMETIMES, the fun of going on a holiday is spoiled by souvenir sellers. The pesky pedlars have a habit of appearing out of nowhere and harassing you into buying their goods. Some of them can be aggressive too, like those in Bali.
We were admiring the padi terraces on the Indonesian island when suddenly a man and a girl approached us to sell crafted wooden boxes.
I said "no" initially but they were very insistent and so good at the art of persuasion that in the end, I bought a box in order to get rid of them.
Unfortunately, that didn't happen. Instead, they tried to sell me more things, offering discounts that I could not resist. They offered me three more boxes for RM10 (S$4.10) and later, even halved that. They spoke glibly and quickly and turned the serene atmosphere of the fields into that of a bazaar. I ended up buying their wares.
Later, back at the hotel, I realised I'd been had when I took a closer look at the boxes and noticed they were full of cracks that weren't visible at a quick glance.
The sellers had made sure I didn't get a chance to examine the merchandise properly. They had probably bought the defective boxes from workshops at a very cheap price.
So remember that cheap often means defective. Before you buy, do check the goods carefully.
Better still, be firm and walk away from such pedlars. Save your money for better things.
»Have an encounter with a souvenir seller to share? Tips on how to graciously turn them away?
