A shopoholics nightmare

Today, lets introduce you to the wild ways of 'shopping' in Ghana. There are a lot of shops around, but not shops that match up with the western conception of a shop. There are shanty stalls, markets, sellers carrying arm loads of merchandise and women carrying wares atop of their heads littered around the streets of Ghana. In the cities like Accra there are a handful of westernised malls or supermarkets that are ridiculously overpriced, but they are aimed primarily at rich ghanaians and foreigners.

The markets are crazy. The sellers are zealous, determined and to be honest desperate for sales. They all sell the same products- carvings, paintngs, beads, jewellry, drums and african style clothing and bags. and when I say they all sell the same thing, it's no exagerration. Perhaps there are slight variations in the design but even then it's such a slight its hardly distinguishable. at first these markets fascinated me but now they are just exhausting. As i am white, I am a walking attractionand target. You get called, pulled, grabbed, complimented and even laughed at. Tis all just a bit exasperating now. There are the mandatory questions that they ask to build up a repport: what's your name, where are you from, how long have you been in Ghana, how do you like it? If the seller is male: Do you have boyfrend, are you married, do you want a black man? Then they launch into the requisite spiel about their high quality products that you can't find anywhere else and how because you're a friend they'll give you a good price. It's laughable because you walk next door and they have the exact same products and depending how good you are at bargaining for cheaper. The trick with bargaining is stcking to the price you want, and walking away when they refuse to gve it to you and always let them tell you what prce you want they want. Never tell them first how much you're willing to pay because when they state their price it's usually the hghest they'll go and you can bring them down from there. Sometimes the to-and-fro can be entertaining but sometimes its just exhausting and once you've done t once or twce you get sick of having to continually fight a price down. When you reply in their language to them, they are not only surprised but amused and it's a good way to get a good price.

People selling things in the street are equally amusing. They'll hiss or dog kiss to get you're attention, follow you, stare at you or pester you. Overall, the shopping expereience isn't one to be savoured because you can't browse leisurely without being harassed by the sellers. It can be amusing and tiring but rarely fun.