Egyptians and Vendors From Hell: 10 Ways to Avoid Getting Overcharged in Cairo

Nobody likes getting overcharged.

You take a 5 minute taxi ride, and BAM, the driver is asking for 100 bucks.

You grab a coke from a snack shop, and BOOM, the dude is asking for your shirt.

Never a good feeling.

Unfortunately, this happens quite a lot in Egypt. Not with everyone, and not everywhere, but most likely more than your home country. And unfortunately….you can’t really change it.

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Luckily, we’ve rounded up some of the things you can do about it.

Getting clearly overcharged for something can be a weird (and even scary) feeling.

It’s best to be prepared.

1. 1. Just pay up. Kinda defeats the purpose of “bargaining,” but sometimes you just don’t care.
   2. Challenge the guy to a duel. Ain’t nobody gonna be overcharging you when you bust out your Harry Potter wand.
   3. Pick up whatever you are trying to buy and throw it back at his face. Game over.
   4. Grab your item and run as fast as you can. With how often you see police officers just about everywhere in Egypt, we really don’t recommend this one.
   5. If you’re at the pyramids, steal that motha fucka’s camel. Ride off into the sunset with it. Live happily ever after.
   6. Ask your mom to pay. She booked a flight over here; surely she can afford it.
   7. Ask your friend to pay. He’s always buying hash; surely he can afford it.
   8. Look deep into the guy’s eyes that is trying to take your money. Don’t look away. Eventually he’ll feel so guilty that he gives you a 50 percent discount.
   9. Start your own business selling souvenirs. Build it up over 20 years, make a ton of money, and run the guy that wronged you out of business. Mission accomplished.

And our personal favorite?

10. Accept getting overcharged for the minor annoyance that it is, use it as a chance to practice your Arabic in the real world, and walk away if you have to.

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Getting overcharged sucks.

You feel disrespected, not taken seriously, and (perhaps) even a little bit of racism.

But you’re just going to have to get used to it. As much as Cleo Lingo would love to change this part of Egyptian culture, it won’t be disappearing anytime soon.

And that’s quite alright, for a few reasons.

First, Egyptians are far from the only people that do this.

As easy as it is to say “Oh those stupid Egyptians,” this sort of thing happens everywhere. Sure it might not be as prevalent in your country….but have you ever been a foreigner in your country?

Exactly.

As nice as I think Americans are, I’ve never actually had to deal with them as a Pakistani immigrant whose English sucks and who doesn’t know anything about the culture.

Just something to keep in mind. People all around the world want money, and overcharging probably happens far more often than you’re aware of.

Second, it really is a good chance to practice your Arabic.

At Cleo Lingo, we can show you all the things to say. What we can’t do is actually force you to use them in real life.

That’s on you.

And what better place to use them than when somebody is trying to overcharge you? You will have to think on your feet, you will finally actually see the use of all those study hours, and you might even impress anybody you’re with.

Might as well use bargaining as a chance to get some practice in.

Third, you can probably afford it.

Now, we won’t make any assumptions about your income. We don’t know how much money you have in your bank account. But probably (assumptions) it’s more than your average Egyptian vendor.

Of course, none of that justifies what plenty of Egyptian vendors try to do: see your skin color, hear you accent, and automatically bump up the price 300 percent.

That’s a douche move, we admit.

But come on: is a buck or two (probably what it ends up being) really going to break the bank?

Didn’t think so.

And fourth….who cares?

I mean, honestly: who really actually cares?

If there is one thing that struggling your way through Arabic verb conjugations and letters that seem impossible to pronounce should teach you, it’s that laughing really is the only way forward. Don’t take things too seriously.

Plus, at the end of the day, you can always just NOT buy something, right?

Just bring your family back some sand.

It’s probably way more authentic, anyway!

We hope you enjoyed our ten tips for getting overcharged….and that you end up picking #10.

Stay tuned for our “How to” guide to bargaining in Egyptian Arabic.

Until then, good luck…