Let's Make a Deal

One exciting part of living in Ghana is negotiating prices- while some things like food from fruit vendors is pretty much not worth haggling about, in other situations negotiating is more acceptable.

For example, taxi fares should be negotiated before you get in the car, and I’ve found it’s really helpful to make sure you and the driver are 100% on the same page about the price. For example, you might suggest a price- maybe 5 cedi, he’ll say 6 cedi, you’ll say 5 again, and then he’ll say “let’s go.” To me, that would seem to mean “we’ve agreed on 5 cedi.” But not so fast- when I clarified with the driver that 5 cedi was indeed the agreed price, he then tried to say we should give him 6 cedi!

Unfortunately, unless you have a good bearing on what is a fair price or the usual price, or pay close attention to financial exchanges, there’s the potential to pay too much for things, perhaps because you don’t know any better. Luckily, there are plenty of situations where Ghanaians have your back, and want to make sure you are treated fairly. For example, sometimes on the tro-tro you might not receive the correct change, and while you might not notice, others passengers will step in and make sure you get the correct amount.

Just this past week, I stopped at a stall to buy a container of Q-tips, and when I asked how much it was, the man seemed to at first say 1 cedi, then say 1.5 cedi. Suddenly, a woman who also works there comes over and clarifies that 1 cedi is the correct price, in a tone that somewhat suggested that he knew what the right price was all along. I certainly appreciated her stepping in, and it’s nice to know that in situations like that, people have got my back!