Rich American, Poor American

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JJReyes
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Even when I was stationed in Hawai'i we had a dual pricing system for a lot of the touristy attractions.
The secret password is "Kamaaina" or in pidgin (Hawaiian creole), "Me local yah!" Our office is in Waikiki. Locals received 10% to 15% meal discounts from area restaurants during lunch hours. Flashing a Hawaii driver's license or military i.d. entitles you to discounts at many attractions. At one time, if you were a local senior citizen, The Bus was free. They eventually put a stop to the practice, but the monthly senior pass is still cheap. The buses are comfortable and air-conditioned. I take it for downtown Honolulu meetings because parking is from $6 to $10 per hour in commercial buildings. The municipal lots are $3 an hour, which is still expensive. The problem is the municipal lots are usually full.Speaking of parking fees. My brother-in-law gave my son and I tickets to a Lakers game in Los Angeles. He forgot to mention the cost for parking at Staples Center. It was $40. My daughter-in-law was then working for the Marriott Hotels. We were driving to San Francisco and she offered us "family rate" for Marriott San Francisco at less than $100 a night. Normally, the business rate is more than $300 a night. I was a happy camper. When I got the bill, there was an additional $56 charge per day for parking. The valet charge was $6! My usual strategy is to find an inexpensive hotel or motel towards Palo Alto and go to the city using BART (Bay Area Rail Transit). Unlike Manila Light Rail Transit, the stations are clean and the cars are airconditioned. The trains are empty except during rush hours. As a Floridian, I believe you can purchase an annual pass for Disney and Universal. My son's family in California purchase annual Disney passes. They also get special rates at the Disneyland Hotel.
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sjp52
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I think its called supply and demand. If the locals ask a higher price and lots of foreigners are willing to pay then why not. I know a lot of foreigners on this forum refuse to pay the higher price and that is great but until most foreigners refuse to pay the higher price it will not change. There are a lot of foreigners ( mainly tourist ) that throw money around like it grows on trees and Filipinos see this and figure we are all rich. We are stuck with this misconception because if we decide to not pay we will be concidered rich and cheap. ( can,t win ). So just decide what you are willing to buy at the elevated price and what you will not buy.Is this practise of over charging right ?. I think so, as we always have the choice of saying no. Do I like it ? No. It can be a pain some times when you really need the over priced service. This happens all over the world. I went to a concert in Canada to see the rolling Stones and they did not allow food or drinks to be brought into the concert. The reason was they were selling bottled water for $4 a bottle and food prices were outragous. Same thing happens in movie theaters in Canada.I think a lot of us when moving here see so many things that are cheaper here in the Philippines and expect it all to be cheaper. Unfortunately that is not the case.When I first met my wife I took her and her family to Pizza Hut for pizza. I was complaining to her about the price being more expensive than in Canada and she said to me that she was so grateful for me bringing her and her family to have pizza for the first time ( they could never afford to buy it ) and she was sorry it was so expensive. That was the first of many lessons I have learned about being grateful for what I have. She had nothing but never complained, I had lots and was complaining.

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i am bob
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I think we should all sit down and read JJR's first 2 posts again... And think about what he writes as if we were the Filipinos... Think about what our lives would be like on the income we made doing that job... What we could afford to give our families... And what we would try and charge those who can afford to pay a little more than the rest of our neighbours who have no money either...Someone once told me that the Kano price is the price that really should be charged in order to make a basic profit. Since most people can't afford that price, a lower price is asked until a person comes in who can afford to pay what the true price should be.JJR has given us one of what I think qualifies for the Greatest Post Ever award of 2012.

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Tukaram (Tim)
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Someone once told me that the Kano price is the price that really should be charged in order to make a basic profit. Since most people can't afford that price, a lower price is asked until a person comes in who can afford to pay what the true price should be.
There are so many things wrong with that.... I wouldn't even know where to start.... so I will have to bow out of this one. :mocking:
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MikeB
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I think we should all sit down and read JJR's first 2 posts again... And think about what he writes as if we were the Filipinos... Think about what our lives would be like on the income we made doing that job... What we could afford to give our families... And what we would try and charge those who can afford to pay a little more than the rest of our neighbours who have no money either...Someone once told me that the Kano price is the price that really should be charged in order to make a basic profit. Since most people can't afford that price, a lower price is asked until a person comes in who can afford to pay what the true price should be.JJR has given us one of what I think qualifies for the Greatest Post Ever award of 2012.
If you believe that you better bring a lot of money when you move here.
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Tatoosh
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I sat down and reread JJR's initial post. He makes some good points. I can understand why some folks react negatively to it as well. But the two tier pricing system has been around for a long time. For many it smacks of exploitation, though it is the wealthy (by Filipino standards) that is being exploited instead of the poor. And some bridle at that, though we Westerners have made heros out Robin Hood and Jesse James for generation after generation. Complaining about it is like complaining about gravity. If you live in the Philippines, you are going to experience it. It is simply a fact of life here. But like gravity, it can be overcome. That takes time and effort, a willingness to learn and adapt. We will never "look" Filipino but we can learn to understand the dynamics and develop strategies and tactics to deal with "kano" or "wealthy" pricing. Of course, as some have mentioned, if it is too infuriating or annoying to deal with, then the malls and upscale stores with prices displayed are the easy fix. But sometimes you are stuck negotiating a price. And that will take some experience and skill plus a bit of knowledge about what the price should be. Otherwise, send your wife or brother-in-law and/or pay up. Whatever our "rules" or expectations are growing up in a developed country, we ain't there no more. We are in SE Asia. Expecting them to behave like we think they should is simply a waste of time and breath. They have their own lives and experiences. We need to understand and deal with it. That doesn't mean expats have to approve of the practice, but they aren't gonna stop because we don't like it. And to live comfortably here, without too much teeth gnashing, it helps to acknowledge that and get on with things.

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i am bob
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Trust me! I am like everybody else and want the lower price too! I may not be able to get the lowest price but as long as I get what I can consider a fair price, I'll be happy. I"d love to see some try to live in Bermuda... There it is a 3 tier system... One for locals, next is a higher pricing for the imported workers and then the tourist rate. The only rate you will see posted is the Tourist price. And there you don't get to barter. First time I ever saw a $20 bucket of KFC - and that was in the early 80s.

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JJReyes
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When I first met my wife I took her and her family to Pizza Hut for pizza. I was complaining to her about the price being more expensive than in Canada and she said to me that she was so grateful for me bringing her and her family to have pizza for the first time ( they could never afford to buy it ) and she was sorry it was so expensive. That was the first of many lessons I have learned about being grateful for what I have. She had nothing but never complained, I had lots and was complaining.
What I enjoy reading in this forum are about the small things that reminds me that life is good. The above is an example. I may stop at a restaurant for a pizza and not think twice about it. Yet for someone else it could be a first time restaurant experience which could linger as a fond memory for a long time. Bruce posted a picture of street children eating local burgers, which I assume he purchased with money from his earnings. How often do they have the opportunity to eat? In the picture, they are consuming food from a clean restaurant. It did not come from a garbage can. Someone else wrote that the neighborhood children know him as the person who buys them ice cream. The adults try to get him to buy beer and this is something he won't do. If I polish my negotiating skills, I can shave off a few pesos from the asking price. Is it worth the effort? How much money am I actually saving? Maybe the vendor is happy she made extra money from the rich Kano that she can afford to treat her children to an ice cream cone.
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Mike S
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Bob ..... I know it is kinda hard to explain or you to visualize just what we mean but try this example ....... I rent my apartment for 10,500 per month ...... all the tenants pay either 10,500p for a 2 bedroom or 7,500p for a 1 bedroom apart ...... now that is including profit for the owner at the rate he set or he couldn't stay in business ...... now just supposedly he should decide that he wants foreigners to pay more for his apartments but Filipinos still pay the normal rate ..... so he ups the price to 12,500 for foreigners ...... he is still making his normal profit but he is now getting 200p per month more just because he is a foreigner ...... now some will say well ... it is his business he can charge what he wants ..... very true ..... but that still doesn't make it right ..... and I guess you can't blame a feller for trying ....... but I have the right to look else where ..... and I would ...... there are Filipinos living in our building that make more money than I do so why wouldn't they pay they same ...... if a local showed up to rent a apartment and could only afford 8,500p per month for a 2 bedroom apartment do you think he would lower the price for them ...... absolutely not ...... that is why they have a set price for items and everyone is happy .....Although a haircut at 40p seems very cheep to you just remember you aren't going to get the type of haircut you are currently used to ..... and again they are making a profit or they wouldn't stay in business ...... we keep reverting back to barbers and they are really a bad example to be comparing this issue with .....My tailor charges me 500p to make my shorts (we supply the material) ..... his rent for his shop is 1500p per month and he lives in a room at the back (we asked him) ..... he may or may not pay for his electricity (could be pirated) so if he just sews 4 pairs of shorts a week he makes 8000p per month ...... now I know I pay a bit more cause I'm a bit bigger that the average Filipino :) so it takes longer to make mine ..... but when my asawa was shopping around for tailors she found several that quoited her a price of 400p but when she took them a pair of my shorts to copy the first thing they said is "OOOO a kano" and the price went to 1200p ...... so because of their greediness they lost our business ..... our current tailor has made me 4 pairs of shorts now and will be doing more in the future and I recommend him to anyone looking for a tailor ..... so who lost out in the long run ......Bob I'm not picking on you .......... when you get here you can do what you want .... but I think once you get here and settled in you will see what we are talking about ......... my best advise is to let the little woman handle your negations ..... just don't let your pride get in the way ..... some guys insist they have to pay for everything and then bitch when they pay to much ..... course if your single ya got mo choice ....... :mocking: :welcome: :hystery: :hystery: ........ IMHO

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MikeB
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If I polish my negotiating skills, I can shave off a few pesos from the asking price. Is it worth the effort? How much money am I actually saving? Maybe the vendor is happy she made extra money from the rich Kano that she can afford to treat her children to an ice cream cone
If it's the same price for everyone I wouldn't even try. But that's a world of difference from deliberately overcharging someone because of their skin color, nationality, or perceived ability to pay.
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