oes not count in the actual weight of your gold. Always ask what the amount of this fee is before you lay down a dinar on the table. Usually, this fee can be in upwards of 30KD and it can be haggled down to at least 50%.
-Play it cool. Don’t drool over ANYTHING in front of the sales staff. The minute they know you are “dying” for a certain item you can kiss your haggling rights goodbye! Act nonchalant over the item until you are certain you want it and then haggle away!
-Be ready to walk away. Once in a while you will meet your haggling match. You will be pitted against a salesman who just will not budge on the price. So, be ready to leave the it‘Haggling’, or negotiating over prices, is something that I learned “by the knee” of my grandmother when I was a young child. I remember seeing her haggle over prices at antique shows, select stores, and even car lots throughout my life. She was a pro. Once she haggled a 50% discount on an oriental rug. My grandmother managed to convince the salesman that it was not really as spectacular as he said it was and that none of the rugs were flying off the shelves anyway. The weary salesmen relented and rung it up “at cost”.

Even though I received excellent schoolage in the art of haggling, I never tried it for myself until I came to Kuwait- the haggler’s paradise. Coming from the US, I had never before seen such heated haggling as I have here in the ‘bazaars’ and ‘souks’. Just about everyone who is anyone haggles in Kuwait. And those who don’t, have no idea what they are missing! Whether it is a young woman negotiating the price for a few meters of fine French fabric or a man trying to steal a deal over a pricey watch, haggling is alive and well in Kuwait!

My first haggling experience in Kuwait is laughable. I was nervous and felt like an idiot but I forced myself to do it anyway. Hey, I was not going to pay 3 KD for mascara! So, to the amusement of my beleaguered husband, I engaged in a diatribe with the salesman over why I felt the mascara was just not worth the full price. He rolled over pretty quick and gave me the make-up for 2 KD! Ahhh…my grandmother would have been so proud! I felt empowered and was determined never to accept paying full price again when there was a chance to haggle. Since my first foray into the art of haggling I have saved HUNDREDS of dinars. The best deals I have ever gotten have usually been over fabric or gold. You too can master haggling and here are some quick tips to get you started!

-Know your stores! Brand-name stores do not accept haggling and they might call the cops if you try price negotiating at the register. Small, privately owned businesses are the best bet for hagglers. Think gold shops, sporting goods stores, and even electronic stores. You can always shave a few dinars off your final bill by asking directly for a discount.
-Pick your battles wisely. Haggling for a 1 or 2 KD discount is a waste of your precious time and haggling energy. Stick to haggling over high-ticket items. For example, I once bought a TV for 75KD. I haggled the price down from 84KD. A savings of 9 KD!
-Look for hidden charges. Did you know that jewelry stores in Kuwait charge a “making price” in your total bill? The “making price” is the fee that the designer receives and does not count in the actual weight of your gold. Always ask what the amount of this fee is before you lay down a dinar on the table. Usually, this fee can be in upwards of 30KD and it can be haggled down to at least 50%.
-Play it cool. Don’t drool over ANYTHING in front of the sales staff. The minute they know you are “dying” for a certain item you can kiss your haggling rights goodbye! Act nonchalant over the item until you are certain you want it and then haggle away!
-Be ready to walk away. Once in a while you will meet your haggling match. You will be pitted against a salesman who just will not budge on the price. So, be ready to leave the ite

paradise. Coming from the US, I had never before seen such heated haggling as I have here in the ‘bazaars’ and ‘souks’. Just about everyone who is anyone haggles in Kuwait. And those who don’t, have no idea what they are missing! Whether it is a young woman negotiating the price for a few meters of fine French fabric or a man trying to steal a deal over a pricey watch, haggling is alive and well in Kuwait!

My first haggling experience in Kuwait is laughable. I was nervous and felt like an idiot but I forced myself to do it anyway. Hey, I was not going to pay 3 KD for mascara! So, to the amusement of my beleaguered husband, I engaged in a diatribe with the salesman over why I felt the mascara was just not worth the full price. He rolled over pretty quick and gave me the make-up for 2 KD! Ahhh…my grandmother would have been so proud! I felt empowered and was determined never to accept paying full price again when there was a chance to haggle. Since my first foray into the art of haggling I have saved HUNDREDS of dinars. The best deals I have ever gotten have usually been over fabric or gold. You too can master haggling and here are some quick tips to get you started!

-Know your stores! Brand-name stores do not accept haggling and they might call the cops if you try price negotiating at the register. Small, privately owned businesses are the best bet for hagglers. Think gold shops, sporting goods stores, and even electronic stores. You can always shave a few dinars off your final bill by asking directly for a discount.
-Pick your battles wisely. Haggling for a 1 or 2 KD discount is a waste of your precious time and haggling energy. Stick to haggling over high-ticket items. For example, I once bought a TV for 75KD. I haggled the price down from 84KD. A savings of 9 KD!
-Look for hidden charges. Did you know that jewelry stores in Kuwait charge a “making price” in your total bill? The “making price” is the fee that the designer receives and does not count in the actual weight of your gold. Always ask what the amount of this fee is before you lay down a dinar on the table. Usually, this fee can be in upwards of 30KD and it can be haggled down to at least 50%.
-Play it cool. Don’t drool over ANYTHING in front of the sales staff. The minute they know you are “dying” for a certain item you can kiss your haggling rights goodbye! Act nonchalant over the item until you are certain you want it and then haggle away!
-Be ready to walk away. Once in a while you will meet your haggling match. You will be pitted against a salesman who just will not budge on the price. So, be ready to leave the it

the salesman over why I felt the mascara was just not worth the full price. He rolled over pretty quick and gave me the make-up for 2 KD! Ahhh…my grandmother would have been so proud! I felt empowered and was determined never to accept paying full price again when there was a chance to haggle. Since my first foray into the art of haggling I have saved HUNDREDS of dinars. The best deals I have ever gotten have usually been over fabric or gold. You too can master haggling and here are some quick tips to get you started!

-Know your stores! Brand-name stores do not accept haggling and they might call the cops if you try price negotiating at the register. Small, privately owned businesses are the best bet for hagglers. Think gold shops, sporting goods stores, and even electronic stores. You can always shave a few dinars off your final bill by asking directly for a discount.
-Pick your battles wisely. Haggling for a 1 or 2 KD discount is a waste of your precious time and haggling energy. Stick to haggling over high-ticket items. For example, I once bought a TV for 75KD. I haggled the price down from 84KD. A savings of 9 KD!
-Look for hidden charges. Did you know that jewelry stores in Kuwait charge a “making price” in your total bill? The “making price” is the fee that the designer receives and does not count in the actual weight of your gold. Always ask what the amount of this fee is before you lay down a dinar on the table. Usually, this fee can be in upwards of 30KD and it can be haggled down to at least 50%.
-Play it cool. Don’t drool over ANYTHING in front of the sales staff. The minute they know you are “dying” for a certain item you can kiss your haggling rights goodbye! Act nonchalant over the item until you are certain you want it and then haggle away!
-Be ready to walk away. Once in a while you will meet your haggling match. You will be pitted against a salesman who just will not budge on the price. So, be ready to leave the it

. Small, privately owned businesses are the best bet for hagglers. Think gold shops, sporting goods stores, and even electronic stores. You can always shave a few dinars off your final bill by asking directly for a discount.
-Pick your battles wisely. Haggling for a 1 or 2 KD discount is a waste of your precious time and haggling energy. Stick to haggling over high-ticket items. For example, I once bought a TV for 75KD. I haggled the price down from 84KD. A savings of 9 KD!
-Look for hidden charges. Did you know that jewelry stores in Kuwait charge a “making price” in your total bill? The “making price” is the fee that the designer receives and does not count in the actual weight of your gold. Always ask what the amount of this fee is before you lay down a dinar on the table. Usually, this fee can be in upwards of 30KD and it can be haggled down to at least 50%.
-Play it cool. Don’t drool over ANYTHING in front of the sales staff. The minute they know you are “dying” for a certain item you can kiss your haggling rights goodbye! Act nonchalant over the item until you are certain you want it and then haggle away!
-Be ready to walk away. Once in a while you will meet your haggling match. You will be pitted against a salesman who just will not budge on the price. So, be ready to leave the itoes not count in the actual weight of your gold. Always ask what the amount of this fee is before you lay down a dinar on the table. Usually, this fee can be in upwards of 30KD and it can be haggled down to at least 50%.
-Play it cool. Don’t drool over ANYTHING in front of the sales staff. The minute they know you are “dying” for a certain item you can kiss your haggling rights goodbye! Act nonchalant over the item until you are certain you want it and then haggle away!
-Be ready to walk away. Once in a while you will meet your haggling match. You will be pitted against a salesman who just will not budge on the price. So, be ready to leave the item and just walk out the door. I know its hard and you might have a few tears trickling down your cheeks, but for all that is sacred in the haggling world, you just gotta’ do it! And on the plus side, 9 times out of 10 you will hear that same grumpy salesman yelling a lower price at you as you exit the door! Enjoy the fun and savings of haggling in Kuwait. And remember a haggler is only as good as his argument!