Pushy Salemen in Egypt

Question

When I was in Bulgaria Salemen on the streets grabbed at me and followed me to try and get me to buy their goods. I hated it!

Now I'm off to Egypt and I hear it is even worse there, I don't know how to handle it! How do you get these pushy salespeople to leave you alone?

Thanks

Answer 1

As you keep repeating the Q , You know what?  Do not go there , Is there anyone obliging  you to go there,??,You should be grateful that you could find a cheap place to spend your holiday,,, if you are too concern and try to offend the Egyptians, by repeating such a question, Do Not GO There,  They will not lose much if you do not go

Answer 2

Well there is one way to find out & that's to come & see for yourself. Don't make problems that are not there.

The guys that do this kind of work never feel offended, it's part of the male culture to be pushy plus once you've left they'll be another lot on the next plane! Just come & enjoy yourself & don't listen to gossip & cause problems before you arrive.

Answer 3

Hi there,

You have made a good choice to come to our beautiful Country that is seeped in Ancient History - you will be made most welcome, we are very friendly race! Unfortunately some appear tooooooooo friendly & this is where Tourist get the wrong impression that all Egypt/Egyptians are the same.

What you discribed about your Bulgarian holiday is no different here, i would not say worse, you can only judge this for yourself when you arrive.. This is a way of life to most shop keepers & market sellers. Because we are so hospitable we love to meet peoples from other Countries & share stories, a drink, sign a visitors book & in some cases food with them(this is considered good luck if you consent) It depends on the individual as to how you handle this, some people love the banter & bartering others, like you appear, are shy of this.

In your case. Remember that no one can make you hand over your money without your permission or push you into buying things that you don't want It is YOUR HOLIDAY, YOUR MONEY, YOUR CHOICE. I tell shop keepers they would sell more if they didn't hassle peoples sadly there is great competition here&the workers are all on commission(the more they sell the more they earn in order to eat)

  I advise you to just smile & politely say No thank you,in extreme cases, if they grab your arm tell them you will call the tourist police, they will soon get the message.

Hope this is of some help to you? If you need to know anything else you can e.mail me or post another question.

Enjoy your trip I hope it is hassle free! :)  x

P.S. Hotel staff will expect to be tipped you can either do this day by day if you appreciate the service or wait until the end of your holiday. I advise 1-2 Egyptian pounds daily to those who serve you well. Tip the bellboy for taking your cases to your room 5-10le.

Always have a price in your mind if you do want to buy something & never pay more than that.

Answer 4

They will leave you alone if you ignore them completely. Act as if you do not see them. From a distance if you see one of them keep going without looking at him. If he persists, say No firmly.

The reason they stick to some people is that they look at what they are selling, they are seen as possible shoppers.

Answer 5

Eh-hm As I said before in your question, You didn't have to repeat the question you know, your previous question is still on the front page

and believe me, That's something I'm sure of Salesmen in Egypt are not like that guy in Bulgaria you described, There aren't salesmen in the street only a tiny few, there are few around The Pyramids, But they're not that pushy.

Answer 6

be decisive and tell them you don't want to buy, if they insist tell them you will call the tourist police, believe me it will work :)

Answer 7

Teen Egyptian princess gave you the best answer here.  It's just in their nature to be a friendly as they can and make you feel welcome everywhere you go they do this by inviting you into a shop to have something to drink and to have a chat they can chat with tourists for hours and they may not buy anything and they don't have a problem with that.  If you don't want to go in just say la shokron meaning no thank you if they persist just repeat but in a firm voice.  Try to be as polite as possible they will respect you more and will have less problems with them.  

Have a good holiday try not to worry about this it is not as bad as you think.  

Answer 8

Don't make eye contact, and if they grab you or anything you have, pull away and try to ignore them and if that doesn't work just push away non threateningly.

Answer 9

try to ignor them and don,t care !!!!!!!!!!!!