Malaysia is a shopping heaven due to its affordable goods, favorable exchange rate, sophisticated mega malls and frequent year end sales. Therefore, shopping is a must-do activity in Malaysia especially in big cities like Kuala Lumpur where mega malls and bazaar type shopping complexes are equally popular not only among the locals but also foreigners.Learning how to shop and bargain in Malaysia is important so that you won’t be getting into an ugly situation where you get your money conned by unscrupulous traders. The following are some shopping and bargaining guidelines that are helpful for shopping not only at mega malls but also at wet market as well as the popular night market in Malaysia.Shopping in mega malls in Malaysia is somewhat different from shopping at the local bazaar style shopping complexes. The prices of goods at shopping malls are usually fixed and the goods normally come with price tags. Therefore, you are not able to bargain for these goods that are fixed in terms of pricing. But the rule of thumb is to wait for the seasonal sales for the items.
If you can’t wait for the seasonal sales for the items, do inquire about the promotional sales offered by credit card vendors. Sometimes certain stores do offer discounts on items with the use of credit card from certain banks. If you are lucky enough, a 10% or even up to 30% of discount by credit card vendors is usually available.Sometimes certain stores do offer discount if your purchase is above certain amount of money. Moreover, sometimes you can even get a steep discount on second item or third items. Therefore, do ask around if they offer such promotion.When you shop at the bazaar style shopping malls like the Central Market, you can usually bargain for the goods. Even though there is a price tag on the items, the price is usually several times above the market price. The vendors expect you to haggle over the price and therefore the final cost of the items really depends on how good you are at bargaining with the vendors. Therefore, the rule of thumb to shopping in Malaysia is to always ask if you can get the items for cheaper price.In addition, when you find something you like and the price is right, don’t get too carried away and rush to purchase the item. The reason is you might be able to find the exact same item at another shop down the street for a much lower price. Therefore, the general guideline is to always shop around first at a several stalls and see if they offer the exact same items. Sometimes you will be surprised as to how huge the price can differ at another store.
Finally, the best way to bargain is to offer the price that you are willing to pay for that particular item. You can simply tell the seller you’ll pay that much amount of money for the item. If the offer is too low, the vendor will most likely say no and counter a slightly higher offer. If you think that it’s not worth that much, simply reject and walk away. Some reasonable vendors do accept your proposed price but might slightly top it up with a few ringgits. If you feel comfortable with the price, you have got a deal!In conclusion, the art of bargaining when shopping in Malaysia is not that difficult. It just requires some practices and skills. The more you do it, the better you will become at it.
