Dealing with aggressive touts in markets?
In many countries the markets are some of the most interesting places to visit. However, as a result of tourism, culture and competition, many of the sellers/touts are...well...aggressive. This can consist of:
- not taking no for an answer
- chasing you down the street
- trying to force you to wear their hat / trying their jewelry etc
- trying to pull you into their shop / restaurant
- wanting your name, where you're from to get a conversation meaning you stop, and may come in, when you just want to walk but not be rude
If you, like myself, don't shop at markets for souvenirs (I look for food, at best), and simply want to browse or walk and look, how best to handle said aggressive shop-owners?
Best Answer
Agressive sellers are like off-line telemarketers. There's very little you can do but to ignore them, and to be rude, if necessary, unless you have the ability to not appear like a tourist.
Also, like you can hand the telemarketer call to your spouse, you can lead aggressive sellers toward more interesting prey, such as richer-looking tourists who aren't being accosted yet.
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How do you handle touts?
The best way to deal with touts in Delhi, Agra or all over in India, in general, is to just ignore them, never run out of patience, and do a little bit of research about the place you are visiting. Just to reiterate, you will find a lot of genuinely helpful people who will help you. Indians are very welcoming people.How do you prevent touts?
How To Avoid The Annoying Touts In Egypt.What is a tout in Egypt?
A tout is a person who solicits business or employment in a persistent and annoying manner \u2014 and in the case of those in Egypt, they will pester you until you finally relent; and then expect compensation for their typically minimal service which was unwanted in the first place.THE MOST ANNOYING SIDE TO INDIA!!! Touts and Scammers
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Answer 2
There is one technique that works for me every time:
Ignore them completely - Like they don't exist
Saying "No!" is generally a mistake, as it gives them something to work with. It's very hard to continue interacting with someone who is blanking you. Furthermore, as it is abnormal not to acknowledge a person who is talking to you, it makes the tout wonder if you might be a bit psycho.
Since I was told this technique it has worked for me absolutely every time. I am so used to pretending that these people don't exist, that even at home in Australia, if someone offers me promotional material in a shop - I blank them too!
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