Avoid “tourist Tax” by Only Shopping for Priced Shops
Your travel budget increases dramatically when you can account for every dollar. Look for shops with clearly marked prices to avoid charging a huge “tourist tax” on top of what locals would pay.
Rick Steves shares an example of how this double standard comes into play when prices are not displayed:
Travelers are usually ripped off by market vendors in tourist centers. Find the places where prices are printed. Suppose that any market that does not have prices printed has a double standard of prices, one for locals and more expensive for tourists. I will never forget my friend who bought two bananas for our London picnic. He grabbed the fruit, held out a handful of change and said: “How much?” The merchant took the equivalent of about $ 4.
I had a similar experience in Kyoto. I wanted to fight the humidity with a refreshing watermelon, but since it is imported from overseas, it was much more expensive than I was used to. Luckily, the store I bought it from had a clear price, so I was willing to pay the bill. Make sure you buy from vendors that do the same and you don’t accidentally go over your travel budget.
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