Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Money
The best way to carry money in the Peninsula is to take a supply of US dollars, pounds sterling or euros and rely on
ATMs to withdraw additional funds.
The Peninsula used to be world famous as a low-tax area. Nowadays, however, a mixture of taxes, often reaching
17%, is added on top of hotel and restaurant prices.
BARGAINING & BARTERING
Arabs are committed shoppers and they make an art form out it, promenading the main street and popping into a
shop to vex the owner without any intention of buying. Buying, meanwhile, is a whole separate entertainment, fo-
cused on the business of bartering and bargaining.
Bartering implies that items do not have a value per se : their value is governed by what you are willing to pay
balanced against the sum the vendor is happy to sell for. This subtle exchange, often viewed with suspicion by
those from a fixed-price culture, is dependent on many factors, such as how many other sales the vendor has
made that day, whether the buyer looks like a person who can afford an extra rial or two, and even whether the
vendor is in a good mood or not.
As with all social interaction, there's an unwritten code of conduct that keeps negotiations sweet:
» Bartering is your chance to decide what you are willing to pay for an item so use your interpersonal skills to see
if you can persuade the vendor to match it.
» Haggling is a sociable activity, often conducted over refreshments, so avoid causing offence by refusing hospit-
ality.
» Don't pay the first price quoted: this is often considered arrogant.
» Start below the price you wish to buy at so you have room to compromise - but don't quote too low or the
vendor may be insulted.
» If negotiations aren't going to plan, simply smile and say goodbye - you'll be surprised how often the word
ma'a salaama (goodbye) brings the price down.
» Resist comparing prices with other travellers; if they were happy with what they paid, they certainly won't be if
you tell them you bought the same thing for less.
ATMs
With the exception of Yemen where ATMs are confined to larger urban areas, virtually all banks in the region, from big
cities to small villages, have ATMs from which you can withdraw funds from an overseas bank or gain a cash advance
with a credit card. ATMs are also widespread in shopping malls and petrol stations.
Bargaining
Bargaining over prices is still very much a way of life on the Peninsula, although to a lesser extent than in some other
Middle Eastern countries. Yemen and Oman are perhaps the exceptions, where aggressive bargaining can offend.
Prices rarely come down much below half the original quote, and 25% to 30% discount is more or less the norm.
Cash
Cash in US dollars, pounds sterling or euros is easily exchanged anywhere in the region.
Search WWH ::




Custom Search