In honor of my upcoming trip back to Morocco this month, I’ve decided to reblog one of my earlier posts. I not only wanted to remind myself of what I learned during my last trip to this intriguing country but also share again, with some minor changes, with all of you! I’m so excited to reexplore the Marrakech souks!
For some time, I had been anxiously imagining my shopping adventure in Marrakech. Visions of bright patterned fabrics, exquisite turquoise jewels, and swirling geometric tiles pranced through my head. I meticulously planned every outfit ahead, making sure to leave space for the bounty of Moroccan treasures I was sure to accumulate.
The day had finally come. Bracing myself for some strenuous bartering, I eagerly head to the souks.
Getting lost in the tangled web of the Marrakech medina is far too easy. The labyrinth of market stands seemed to stretch on forever, each one as enticing as the last. The experience was not only expected and welcomed but also a tad overwhelming.
Eventually, we stumbled upon a street where we felt comfortable, “Rue Fehl Chidmi.” This section of the medina is located just off of Place Jemaa el Fna between “Café Arabe” and “Café Argana” and is also known as “Souk Laksour.” Here you can find just about any Moroccan specialty you could imagine, from authentic leather backpacks and exquisite dangling jewels to hand-painted ceramic tiles and Moroccan pharmacy goods. Read more about this specific area of the medina on Grantourismo.
In our short 3-day trip to Marrakech, we spent A LOT of time in the souks. Through a lot of trial and error, we learned what worked and what didn’t. Still, a few too many times we got scammed. Not letting this discourage us, we persisted, and by day three, I’d like to think we were semi-pros on the matter.
Here’s my advice for shopping the Marrakech souks
Take your time in the souks.
Don’t let the shopkeepers pressure you into a purchase. Make sure you take your time, as much as you may need. Admire the craftsmanship and quality of an item before committing. Once you begin to bargain, it’s harder to walk away. Don’t hesitate to politely ask for a minute to think about it or to simply say ‘no thank you.’ If a shopkeeper is relentless or over-aggressive, move on. There are plenty of similar, if not identical, items in surrounding stands.
Venture deep into the Marrakech souks.
Don’t be afraid to abandon the main square and venture deep into the souks. I actually found that the further I wandered into the souks, the lower the prices, the more space to navigate, and the less aggressive the vendors. In the main square, prices are not only higher, but the goods are also of lesser quality. This is because most tourists tend to linger around the plaza.
Start your bargaining low.
Seriously, start low. Start lower than low. Most items are grossly overpriced. I would start your bidding anywhere from 10-20% of the asking price and work your way up from there. Most merchants play the game well and want to see how much they can get out of you. They may initially laugh at your low offer, but more times than not, they will eventually match or get very close to your asking price.
Don’t seem “too interested.”
While enthusiasm and excitement about the desired item may be hard to suppress, try not to seem overly interested in anything you want to buy. Once a shopkeeper realizes how much you want one of their products, it’s much harder to bring the price down.
“Shukran” does a long way.
When shopping through Marrakech, “shukran”, or thank you in Arabic, is the #1 keyword. Always say thank you, even when refusing an offer. If you try to be polite and engaging, most vendors are more willing to work with you.
Leave any pricey or flashy items at your hotel.
Don’t wear anything expensive or flashy when shopping in the souks. Leave your pricey items back at your hostel or hostel. If a vendor sees that you can afford a Louis Vuitton satchel, they are sure as hell to jack up their prices. Nice things such as cameras or watches also attract attention. If you must carry these items with you, try to put them away or hide them from plain view. Also, beware of pickpockets, especially children.
Keep landmarks in mind.
Many of the intertwining aisles of never-ending souks look frighteningly similar. Keep a few landmarks in mind, such as specific restaurants or monuments, to help find your way out of the maze of markets. When in doubt, ask someone for the direction of the main square.
Be prepared.
Shopping through the souks is an extraordinary and extremely unique experience, yet an incredibly exhausting one. Fending off eager shopkeepers and constantly bargaining prices down is very tiring. Try to keep moving and not to linger too long at any one stand. (For someone like me, who loves window-shopping and admiring items that I don’t necessarily intend to buy, this was very difficult.) Whatever precautions you take, be prepared to be heckled, hassled, and haggled.
Marrakech Souk Bargaining Tips
We tried a few different bargaining strategies, some of which were much more effective than others. The two that quickly became our favorites are as follows:
#1 “This is all I have on me.”- If you have a purchase and a price in mind, keep only that amount visible in your wallet. When the shop owners give you a price, start below the price you have in mind. Slowly work your way up to your price. The vendor will ask ‘what is your final (or last) price?’ Tell them and then, if needed, show them that this is physically all you have. You are not trying to ‘play the game,’ this is really just all you have on you. They may tell you ‘no problem you can pay with card.’ If it gets to this point, follow #2.
#2 The “no thank you” and walk away- If a shop owner gives you a very high price or refuses to barter, simply say ‘thank you very much’ and begin to walk away. You will be surprised at just how quickly the price will drop as you near the exit. If the vendor begins to get closer to a reasonable price, stop, and begin the bargaining process again.
** If a shop owner refuses to budge, it could be because either the quality is actually what they say it is, or because they are trying to play the game just as well as you. Don’t let this discourage you. You’ll find something for a reasonable price elsewhere. Don’t pay a higher price than you feel comfortable with.
Look at all those colours! One day I will make it to these markets so thanks for all the great trips 🙂 How exciting are your upcoming travels?! Wow. I can’t wait to follow along with you!
Thanks Marcella! I’m excited also 😀
Great post! It is a fun experience to shop in Morocco, but I agree – it is overwhelming! And I’m just not used to bargaining for everything, so it feels a little uncomfortable to me at times. I bought a carpet in Morocco, and one thing they try to do is a bait and switch – you see a carpet you like, and make a low offer on it. They balk and tell you how long it took so-and-so to make it by hand, etc, and you tell them you simply can’t afford the high price they quoted. Then they find a much smaller carpet that is within your price range, but for the price you gave, obviously it would be overpaying by a lot for a tiny carpet. It is an experience, and it’s hard to bargain when they’re so charming sometimes!
I agree, it can definitely get uncomfortable. I had a similar ‘bait and switch’ situation when trying to buy a necklace! Finally I got the guy down to the price I wanted to pay, but it took a whileeeeee
I love your tips! I visited Marrakech 8 years ago and wish I knew then what I do now. The ideas about bargaining are key and getting your bearings with landmarks. There are so many lovely items to purchase there that you cant find anywhere else so scooping up some souvenirs is important! 🙂 Hopefully Ill get to use your tips someday soon. xoxo
Well, I defintiely scopped up my fair share of souvneirs!
I love the bright colors of the market!
I was obsessed with all of the colors! It was my favorite part!
I love all the bright colours! I have wanted to go to Marrakech for a while now as I have seen lots of blog posts about it and it looks amazing! x
It was! Don’t hesitate to go! It was one of my favorite trips from last year!
Great photo of the three of you in the picture frame and some very useful tips. I got slightly lost in the souk in Marrakech!
Suze | LuxuryColumnist
It’s actually a mirror 😀 … cool right! The shop keeper staged it for us and then of course hassled us for tips!
I’m sooo interested in Marrakech (love all your colorful pictures!). I can’t wait to make it over to that part of the world. I’ve heard about how intimidating and crazy the souks experience is. I’m absolutely the WORST at bargaining. And I’ll feel bad about bargaining something down too low because I feel like I need to support their livelihood, haha. In any market, I almost always end up paying close to asking price because I figure that $1 is not that much to me, but probably a meal to them. And I’m also never sure how much something is *supposed* to cost. These are great tips!
I feel the same and I never try to go too low, but the shopkeepers know how to get what they can out of you! It’s a delicate balance for sure! We asked around at our hostel and our tour guides about ‘normal’ prices, but it seems like a kind of conspiracy as even they were trying to rip us off! I guess we’ll never know!
I loved Marrakech!! Especially the Djemaa-El-Fnaa. Everything there was so rowdy and VIBRANT. And wandering in the souks were terrifying, but one of my favorite experiences. I kept thinking I was going to get lost inside and never find my way out! I did wish that my mom was there with me sometimes, because she is a bargaining queen!
I feel the same way! Some of the experiences were definitely uncomfortable or a little scary, but honestly, I think that’s why I loved it so much! Who would have thought!
Ahhh I would love love love to go to Marrakech!! And this post is so useful, thanks.
Thanks Polly 😀
The photos in this post are simply fabulous! x
Thanks so much Amanda! 😀
Hi Lauren,
Beautiful pictures! I give you credit; even with all the amazing images, and products and so much goodness to purchase I can’t do the bartering thing. I literally walk out of stores immediately if I don’t see prices. LOL….I recall our first week in Bali we walk into a store. Shop owner sees us looking at a cheap Bali bag. We ask for a price. $28. I laugh, and smile, knowing face-saving is big here. My wife Kelli gets pissed as it’s worth like $10 maybe, and people do the high-low bit. We begin to walk out – because we hate haggling – and he keeps going lower and lower. No ploy here, we genuinely wanted to leave because we’re looking for price tags. Moral of story; she bought the bag for $2. $26 to $2, all because we wanted to avoid haggling lol.
Thanks Lauren!
Tweeting from Bali.
Ryan
Excellent tips. I just went to Morocco, and while I didn’t venture to Marrakech, these tips will work in the souks of Fez and Rabat just as well. It is definitely an exhausting event, but totally worth it in the end! Thanks for sharing your experiences, especially the photos!
Thanks Christy! So exhausting, but also so worth it! ;D
Thanks for the tips! Last time I went to Morocco I was such a softy and didn’t know how to haggle properly….hopefully next time I’ll be more tough 🙂
-Natalia
http://glitterandpassport.blogspot.com/
Love all the color! Soo – would you say – take your camera one day to capture it all and then when you want to bargain – leave it at home?
That would probably be a great idea!! That way you can master both the photo and the bargain 😀
This is a great post – I’m headed that way in a few months and can’t wait!!
This is so helpful! We’re heading to Marrakech in two days, so I’m saving these tips for our trip!
I’m half Moroccan, and I loved all the pictures you’ve shared here. I haven’t been to Morocco much, since I was mainly raised in France. I do miss how delicious our food is, especially since I now live in London and there are not that many Moroccan restaurants over here – or, my favorites, Moroccan pastry shops!