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Started by Duque de Bragança, June 10, 2021, 06:04:10 AM

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Maladict

Quote from: Duque de Bragança on June 21, 2021, 01:17:03 PM
Quote from: Barrister on June 21, 2021, 12:47:56 PM
We went to Brazil 8 years ago for my brother's wedding (his wife is from there).  We wound up going to several touristy areas, but more in a 'appeals to tourists from other parts of Brazil' kind of way, rather than appealing to anglos.

What we were told, and what we noticed, is that yes if you go sit down at a restaurant that has fixed prices on the menu you're going to pay those fixed prices.  But a lot of shops the prices are much more negotiable, and we were told by my sister-in-law's family to always bring a family member with us to negotiate and get a better price.  Whether that's a lingering resentment to tourists, or just being able to speak the language, is impossible to tell.

:secret:
You may be onto something.

Oh definitely. I'd say speaking the language (or making a serious effort) will reduce your chances of getting badly ripped off to nearly zero.
Making no effort to adapt to your host country will increase that chance significantly.


PDH

Quote from: Maladict on June 21, 2021, 01:23:27 PM
Oh definitely. I'd say speaking the language (or making a serious effort) will reduce your chances of getting badly ripped off to nearly zero.
Making no effort to adapt to your host country will increase that chance significantly.

Wait, talking very loudly and slowly to foreigners isn't just as good?
I have come to believe that the whole world is an enigma, a harmless enigma that is made terrible by our own mad attempt to interpret it as though it had an underlying truth.
-Umberto Eco

-------
"I'm pretty sure my level of depression has nothing to do with how much of a fucking asshole you are."

-CdM

Jacob

I've certainly come across paying more as a non-local many times while travelling. Some times it's been very explicit and posted (admission to museums in some places, for example), some times it's not super explicit but obvious, and other times it's merely been a suspicion.

But when a place caters to both locals an tourists -  especially when tourists are richer by x10, x100, or more - it would be strange for there not to be price differential IMO.

Then, of course, there are places where bargaining is part of most transactions. I'm pretty confident tourists - including the ones who think they're super clever and drove a hard bargain - pay more than the locals who knows what's what.

Can't speak to real estate, though, as I've never purchased any abroad.

PDH

I'm pretty sure purchasing a broad is sort of illegal.
I have come to believe that the whole world is an enigma, a harmless enigma that is made terrible by our own mad attempt to interpret it as though it had an underlying truth.
-Umberto Eco

-------
"I'm pretty sure my level of depression has nothing to do with how much of a fucking asshole you are."

-CdM

Admiral Yi

I've been to Jamaica three times, and come to the conclusion there are three prices.  Local price, dumb tourist price, and cool tourist price.  So the goal is work it down to the cool tourist price.

garbon

One American example I know if is the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. For the longest time, only people in the know (i.e. mostly locals) would know it was actually pay as you wish and could get away paying in dollars or simply change. I remember when a French tourist tried to breate all of us for standing in a line for the cashier (where it was pay as you go) vs using the automate kiosk where you had to pay the full price (I think $25 at that time).

Now it is explicitly that only for residents of New York can pay as you wish, all others pay full price.
"I've never been quite sure what the point of a eunuch is, if truth be told. It seems to me they're only men with the useful bits cut off."
I drank because I wanted to drown my sorrows, but now the damned things have learned to swim.

Sheilbh

Quote from: Jacob on June 21, 2021, 02:17:31 PM
I've certainly come across paying more as a non-local many times while travelling. Some times it's been very explicit and posted (admission to museums in some places, for example), some times it's not super explicit but obvious, and other times it's merely been a suspicion.
Mexico is very clear. The prices for the National Museum of Anthropology (best museum I've been to in the world) and the various sites like old temples have different prices for Mexicans and non-nationals. Which is fair enough, it's their national patrimony and they need to fund the upkeep/investigations.

The nearest I've had in London is that I lived in Tower Hamlets which is the borough just to the east of the City with the Tower of London and Tower Bridge. I don't know if it still exists but if you had a Tower Hamlets library card and proof of address (like a recent bill) you could get into both of those for free :lol:
Let's bomb Russia!

Duque de Bragança

Museums are different; the Louvre has free days for youths, up to  25 before now possibly 30. EU youths for sure, possibly EEA.

Some other museums have very cheap offers to attract a regular crowd of Parisians.
Not just museums, even Eurodisney used to have a price for people living in Île-de-France.