Merkato
That is the correct spelling. Merkato isn’t a market really in the conventional sense, it is a city unto itself. It would take days I think to traverse the entire place. There are stalls upon stalls upon stalls. Then there are alleyways that have stalls as well. Merkato has different sections where you can buy traditional clothes, jewelry, incense, bereber (pepper used for cooking), spices, produce, plastic chairs, basins, containers, etc., tools (anyone you could ever want), steel bars, music, electronics, televisions, radios, etc., linens and bedding, truly almost anything you could ever want can be found at Merkato, for a reasonable price – if you can get to that reasonable price.

The money in Ethiopia is called Birr, I think it is at about 8 Birr to US$1 right now.

The Drama
Negotiating over prices is an art really, it’s a drama of sorts. Kemetian went to Merkato to buy some traditional outfits. There were 2 banks that we went to, to change my traveller’s cheques, the first one didn’t do it, the second one was minus the supervisor who needed to sign something (she had left for the day at about 2:30-3:00, ppl are kind of laid back), so it was decided at I should choose what I wanted on that day and then return the next day to purchase them. We went to a stall (they are numbered) with which my hosts were familiar. We went through a narrow alleyway, there were ppl coming and going on both sides, some rather impatient, sort of nudged us out of the way. Up 2 steps we went into the stall. All the while ppl are calling you to their stall, convincing you that that is the one that has what you are looking for. Mostly men run these stalls, some older some middle-aged, some younger. Some stalls have tailors in there to sew the clothes out of material you have selected. And boy is there material. Each stall is rather small, they vary in size tho’. The one we were in was no greater that 20 square feet. With all of the merchandise in there, this significantly cut down on the space. There were some small stools in there covered with goat skin. There was a fluorescent light above and when we entered they closed the curtains. On one side there were rows and rows and rows of material. Some were Natellas, these are wraps worn by folks here. There rather handy, they can be used to protect you from the sun on a hot day, dust and particles, exhaust from trucks, or on a cooler day (of which there have been many) it can protect you from the cold. These are white and made of a gauzy material, some are ribbed, some are not and at the edge, for about 6 inches, there is a design of some sort. There are an infinite amount of designs. I have been told that most have significance and there are some ppl that are so good, they can (hand) make the design from a drawing you bring. Some are on iridescent looking material, some are more understated. Ok that’s one side. On the other side hanging up are dresses. Some are two piece outfits, with design on the edges of the skirt and top. The tops usually are sleeveless or very short-sleeved. On another side are more dresses, these are one-piece, some have elastic at the waist and some do not, these are generally worn with a belt and a wrap. The have a beautiful continuous design around the neck and down the middle to the bottom. They sometimes have the same design on the bottom at the back and around the end of the sleeves. Some designs are associated with the Orthodox church. Some are of a white thick material and some are of a beige soft material, it feels like it just came of the sheep. It’s kind of stretchy. These need to be bought very long because they can shrink. For men there are short suits and long white cotton shirts, with matching pants. There are also these long robes with similar designs on them for men.

Ok after trying on some clothes, Kemetian decides on four outfits. The gentleman charges 310 Birr for Kemetian’s favorite one. This is waaaay too expensive Kemetian has been advised. The negotiations begin. Back and forth back and forth. The next time Kemetian checks as to what the current rate is, it is 180 Birr. He forces the negotiator to feel the material, “look at the beadwork” he is no doubt saying as he pulls on the beads at the end of the outfit. There is a woman sitting in the stall with us. She begins to put her 2 cents in. 2 cents on the vendor’s side. “he is very good boy, (the woman is older) I have been coming here for over 10 years, his prices are reasonable and it is a very nice outfit.” Sheesh lady if we wanted your opinion we would’ve asked you for it. This is not uncommon though, sometimes other customers help the vendor in hopes of getting a discount on what they have to buy, so I can’t really blame her. He sighs, he rubs his head. Ok, 180 Birr. We leave and say we will return the next day. On our way out we stop at another stall that has similar outfits to Kemetian’s favorite. How much?

100 Birr.

The next day we get the traveller’s cheques changed and return Merkato. This time we have an additional negotiator. We will check other vendors to see what they are charging for this outfit. We stop at the vendor who is holding the outfits. We inform him that we have seen the same for 100 Birr. He says no, it’s not the same quality. Again the beadwork. Theirs is done by needle, these are done by hand, it uses a part of the outfit (you’d have to see it to get it) to attach the beads. Theirs will pop off in no time. We will check. He says fine check. We leave we go to other stalls. No other vendor has the outfit that vendor 1 has. They are similar but not the same color. Many had the same color but did not have the star design on the pieces. We go back to vendor 1, he smiles knowingly. You see this too is part of the drama, walking out and coming back. Usually it is the vendor who calls you back though. so we are at a disadvantage.

Kemetian looks at the beadwork. Crap, he’s right, it _is_ better quality. So we’re back to 180 Birr. C’mon at least 150 Birr.

Oh i forgot to tell you, Kemetian decided on the way over to get only 1 outfit. It is very hard to bargain around New Year’s because ppl have come from the countryside and the vendors are assured a sale. Better to wait until after the new year to get the rest. Sounds good.

The additional negotiator is doing a great job. What’s he saying? "He says 160 Birr final offer." Great we’ll take it. it’s in the bag already. Oh BTW tell him we’re only taking one outfit today as Kemetian hands Negotiator 1 200 Birr, cheerfully. Negotiator 1 relays the message. Suddenly Kemetian’s outfit is flying out of the bag and onto a hanger. um, what’s going on? Why is he hanging up the outfit? The vendor is shaking his head forcefully. He slaps Negotiator 1’s hand with the money in it. Negotiator 1 says, “you know what he said, the only reason he gave you 160 Birr for the outfit is because he thought you were getting ALL of the outfits.” Oh great. Well Kemetian is certainly not leaving the outfit there, after all that hard work? Besides Kemetian feels kind of bad since he had been left with that impression. Ok, ok, what if we get 2 outfits. Good sign, the outfit is moving off of the hanger. So for this and that outfit 310 Birr. They talk more, more hand slapping. In one last ditch effort, Kemetian says tell him just make it 300 Birr even. Neg 1 “That’s what I just told him, he says he is not making any profit with us” Oh c’mon, 300? “OK give 100 Birr more.” Whew. My host says “tell him don’t worry we’re coming back. We are good customers” Neg 1 relays message. The man smiles, "Ishi (ok) Ishi." The greetings are exchanged, we bow and smile, he bows and smiles and shakes each of our hands. Ishi. All is well, we leave friends.

I think.

Kemetian
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