How to Haggle

I always admire people who have the ability to get the price that they want for the products they are buying in the market. Haggling is a great skill and that is one of the talent that I wanted to have. My father is expert in haggling and many times he is able to buy fish and meat from the wet market at half the price. At People's Park, Tagaytay City, my girlfriend showed how good she is in haggling (or pagtawad in Tagalog) and that is one of the things at admire about her.

So how to haggle (paano tumawad)? Here are some tips:

1. Study the Vendors

If you go to the market regularly, then it is good that you study the traits of the vendors whom you are buying goods from. There are vendors who are very stingy and will not allow you to get discounts. There are some vendors who are generous and give their customers discounted prices. Always buy from vendors who give good discounts (as long as the quality is not sacrificed) so that you will build a good relationship with them. Buying from them regularly will make you as their friend and you will easily get discounts from them without much negotiation.

My father style is this. He has a mental list of generous vendors and he always buy from them whenever he goes to the market. He befriends them so that he could not be forgotten by the vendors. Aside from getting discounted prices, vendors also give him the best of their goods.

2. Act as if You are not Buying

When you are buying, never show to the vendor that you have decided to buy his/her products. Always make them feel that you are hesitant to buy their goods and your mind will change at any moment and you will go to other stores. By making them feel that way, the vendors will voluntarily offer you discounted prices to buy their products.

3. Buy Things in Bulk

The more items you buy, the higher the possibility that you will get a discount. This is what my friends did when we are buying souvenir shirts during the Pahiyas Festival in Lucban. We are 8 in the group and instead of one person buying on his own, we buy as group. We bought more than 20 shirts and the vendor allowed us to get a large discount.

4. Never Forget to Compute

Most of the vendors stick to the deal after you settled the discounted price. Some, however, will trick you and make you believe that you are paying in the settled discounted price, when you are actually paying for the undiscounted price. Be aware of this scheme and compute your purchases first before buying.

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So that’s my tips when haggling in the local markets in the Philippines. Hope my tips helps, happy haggling!


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Commuting Danger Zone: Cubao

Cubao, Quezon City had been one of the most visited places in the Metro. A long time ago, this area is packed with people because of its malls, like the Ali Mall, Isetan, CDO and Plaza Fair. There are also many movie houses and shops that have many patrons in the past. The presence of the Araneta Coliseum is also the reason why Cubao is always visited by many people.

Cubao also serve as the hub of many terminals of buses that ply to different provinces around the country.

Though, many commercial hubs around the Metro had risen, Cubao is still one of the most visited places in Metro Manila. Because of this, Cubao is one of the most attractive places for criminals like thieves, snatchers, and hold-uppers.

Always be Alert

When you are in Cubao, always be on alert on all people around you. Thieves don’t usually bother anyone who seems to be alert because they prefer a much easier prey. Thus, being alert is a big factor in keeping criminals at bay.

I have one experience when a group of people, which composed of about eight persons, climbed up the bus I am riding on in Cubao. After a few meters, all of them got down from the bus and some minutes later one of the passenger discovered that some of his belongings were stolen.

The lesson from this is that you should be alert when you are in Cubao Area. Always be alert of all the people that ride on your jeepney or bus so as to prevent being a victim of thieves.

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Valley of Horses

 Valley of Horses, Jean Auel

The Valley of Horses continues the life story of Ayla, which was started in the first novel Clan of the Cave Bear.

In the first novel, Ayla was condemned by his the new clan chief and her sworn enemy to be cut off from the clan. Shaken and depressed by the turn of events, Ayla had to leave his son to the care of her clan mates and journey on to live to place that is far away from her clan. In her journey, Ayla reached a valley and chose to settle their. She persevered and learnt to live on her own in that valley until he found another man, named Jondalar of her own race, who taught her that she is not alone and she could live again.

Once again, I was amazed by Ayla. Her struggle to continue leaving despite her being cut off from the clan is worth reading for. Her determination to live kept the story moving and the very thing that kept me interested in reading this novel. However, this book is not about Ayla only but is also about [Insert name here] whose story runs parallel to Ayla’s story. I found the story of Jondalar uninteresting so I skipped all chapters that are about him.

All in all, this novel is another good work from Jane Auel. My only wish is that she should have modified the story of Jondalar to make him as interesting as Ayla. Ayla’s character is too strong than Jondalar character.

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Visit Before the Eastern Sunset and read about my travel to Lucban for their Pahiyas Festival.

Also read my reason why I will not buy another edition of the Philippine Daily Inquirer in my socio-political blog, Paradoxic Ley Line.

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