Shopping in Istanbul
Part 1

Inside the Grand Bazaar, the worlds oldest indoor shopping center

As I have mentioned, there has been almost continuous inhabitation of this city for 2600 years. The basis of this inhabitation, to the best of my reckoning, has been three-fold: military, religious, and commercial. So far I have focused on the first two, but now it is time to talk about the final of the defining characteristics of Istanbul.

Hand carved chess peices

Belly-dancer costumes. Who would like me to bring one back for them?

Shopping here is an art form and takes some time to master. Unlike the trend of the one stop mega-stores that are popular in North America, there are millions of little shops all over the city. Many of them are so small that only two people can squeeze into them at a time. The Grand Bazaar, where I went yesterday, contains a boggling maze of several hundred shops, most of which are barely bigger than a closet. So, knowing were to go to get the good deal, or the good quality items itself takes expertise. In addition, in the market and tourist areas there are few price tags, so the merchant has a lot of freedom when it comes to offering an initial price. One price tag that Sirin did see on a leather item was 250 euro, but the merchant said that for her, as a local, he would sell it for 150. In other words the merchants can spot a tourist and most certainly rip them off if they are not careful.

Baby shoes

Lanterns

One can get good deals, but one has to know where and how to go about it, which takes time and practice. The first offer is deliberately high for suckers. However, it is normally too high for anyone with any sense to consider. The next move is critical, for if the counter offer is too high then it is hard to take them down any further, but not impossible. What I have been trying to do is consider in my own mind what I would be comfortable paying, and then not really move from it. I have not been incredibly successful, but I am slowly getting better. The key is to be willing to just walk out if you are not completely comfortable, regardless of how friendly the merchant is. There are usually numerous other places that are selling similar things, so with patience a person can find what they are looking for. For example we were looking at some bags in one store in which the first price was 120 lira, but just a couple of stores away the merchant there offered 80 lira as the first price on the very same item.

A woman making a carpet.

The carpets are spectacular but not even close to within price range.

My experience with the pipe merchant is a good example of the phenomena. When I showed some interest in the pipes in the window I was whisked into the store faster than I knew what was going on with a tea in front of me and a stool under my bottom. The fellow would not even mention price until he had shown mea nearly every pipe on the shelf, which as you can see are quite a few. After I picked out the one I liked we talked prices and I eventually got him to a more comfortable price, although I immediately felt like I had over paid after we left. I was certainly seduced by his charms, but in all honesty, I did get a very nice pipe.

My attempts at being a shrewed customer.

Another part of what makes shopping here such an art form is that it is easy to become overwhelmed. Theses little stores are as packed as possible and the items are often extremely fantastic, as some of the pictures indicate. In order to know what to buy and where to buy takes really knowing what you want and what you are willing to pay for it. I hope by the time I am ready to go I will have a much better sense and have a few good bargains to show for my patient efforts.

The pictures for this entry were taken by Sirin