My plans in Morocco has been changing on an almost daily basis. Up till this morning, I was still undecided if I will head to Chef Chawan or to the Sahara desert, but since Betty leaves in the evening, and I wanted to time my departure from Fes around the time she leaves, the best option was to take the overnight bus trip to Sahara!
So we spent the last day in Fes doing our final shopping (actually more for Betty! :)), with assistance from the owner of the Riad on places to find the best bargains, and helping with some of the bargaining.
One of the items Betty wanted was leather products such as bags or shoes. The owner of the Riad called someone from the leather factory to pick us up from our Riad. After making numerous windy turns along streets which we had never ventured before, we soon arrived at a store filled with 4 levels of leather products.
I had no intentions of buying anything due to my on-going travel plans. However while browsing, I came across some nice leather jackets, and tried some on and soon found one which I really liked. The staff at the store said that they will give us a good price at the end, so we continued browsing.
About an hour into our selection at the leather store, we wrapped up our browsing and brought our merchandises to the cashier counter. We were extremely shocked at the price which the staff quoted us. For example, my jacket was quoted at 2,300 dirhams (equivalent to about S$400).
We were told about the massive price slashing that we needed to do in Fes (generally about half the quoted price or more), but considering that this was someone recommended by the Riad owner, we expected that the prices quoted would be more reasonable.
We instantly declined to continue our purchase and they asked for our counter-offer. Betty and I started discussing in Cantonese and after some pondering moments, I countered offered at 1,000 dirhams.
The expressions on the staffs’ face changed instantaneously, which up to that point they had been really helpful, cordial and all smiles. They immediately questioned why I offered such a huge discounted rate, and I shared with them that I was not expecting it to be that expensive and having not worked for more than half a year, I don’t have that much money to spare.
After a few more rounds of discussion, my final offer ended at 1,200 dirhams, but the staff refused to give in. Betty, whom had also given separate offers for the things she had identified, had also difficulties negotiating the price down to the level she wanted.
So we decided to leave and thanked the staff nevertheless. One of the staff was tasked to lead us back to our Riad, however within 100m after we left the factory outlet, we heard the supervisor at the factory outlet calling out to us.
He said that after discussing with the owner of the factory, and because the jacket fitted me so well, the owner was willing to let it go at a lower price (wow, what a story!), but hope that I can increase my price to 1,500.
I told him that it was not possible, and after a while, we both came to an agreement at 1,350 dirhams. Betty also bought a couple of her items at a much better price than previously offered.
I am now a proud owner of a baby goat skin leather jacket. Time to throw out my other jacket that had been keeping me warm and dry over the last few months!
We made our way back to the Riad to meet up with the Riad owner who subsequently brought Betty to buy some of her other items on her “wish list”.
To thank the Riad owner for his time, we invited him to lunch, and asked that he choose the venue. We settled into a small cafe near the market and the Riad owner ordered a few items to share.
When the bill came, we were surprised… 40 dirhams for 3 pax! Even cheaper than all our meals we had the last few days! We must have been ripped off the last few days!
We headed back to the Riad to do our final packing, and the time soon came where Betty and I said our goodbyes. Not for long though, as I will be flying to London in about 3 weeks time.
See you soon Betty!
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