Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Not a nice guy

Why is it that people make the mistake of taking kindness for weakness?  Case in point.  I'm laying on the beach in Koh Samui minding my own business when this guy walks by selling sarongs, tablecloths, hammocks and other things as people typically do to tourist on tropical islands.  Some of the things are really nice and you can sometimes get really good deals.  I spy a red Thai sarong that I rock be able to rock on the beach because hey I'm on vacation and I my as well do as the locals do, right?  So I ask him to come over.  On close inspection the sarong isn't completely red, the borders are red but the main body of the sarong is this pinkish color that I don't like so I know I'm not going to buy it.  I see another one, blue with flowers on it that might make a nice gift for someone so I start the haggling process not in ernest but just to see what he's willing to do with the price.  As expected he's willing to do a lot but the prices are so ridiculously overpriced that I really don't feel like going through this process so I say nevermind I'm really not interested.  He wrongly interprets this a ploy on my part to get him to drop the prices even lower and he continues to bargain with me.  I tell him "no, I really don't want" but he continues to say "cheaper, cheaper, I make you good deal, you tell me how much you pay" and out comes the calculator.  I've been here before many time in China and Cambodia and frankly want none of it right now so I tell him "no I really don't want to buy anymore."  He asks me "why no buy?" I say because "I don't want.  I changed my mind I just don't want anymore."  

Now at this point any other person would have realized that the potential sale is over and would have packed up their stuff and moved on.  No, not this guy!   He gets a little angry and says "well why did you say you want in the first place?" I say "because at first I did but now I don't.   That's what happens in the selling business.  Sometimes people change their minds."  He says "changed your mind huh?"   Then proceeds to tell me that I'm not nice, all the while still trying to haggle with me by dropping the price even lower.  I laughingly say "I'm not a nice guy because I changed my mind.  Don't get upset.  I just don't want to carry it back to NYC with me.  (I've learned from China and Cambodia that the things that you think won't add weight to your backpack DO and I'm not into lugging a ton a stuff around with me.  Lesson learned.)  

At this point he gets really angry when he realizes that I'm not haggling and that I'm seriously not going to buy and says that "I wasted his time, I changed my mind" goes on to say again that I'm not nice and starts calling me evil.  I'm still being cool because I know that he's just trying to make a sale.  So he finally folds up his items and packs them up in his bag and as he gets up to leave he says "You're an evil man.  Fuck off.  Fuck off evil man."  Okay, that's it!  I've had enough.  I get up off of the lounger that I'm laying on and say "Fuck off?!  Fuck off?! You better keep stepping little man before I kick your "fuck off" ass!"  He hurries away and now I have all my fellow sun worshippers staring at me.  You think I care.  No.


1 comment:

Anonymous said...

First they forget my spring roll at Spice and now this??? You need to kick some Tai ass so they know you can't F@#$ with the USA!!