My sister spent a bit of time in Ethiopia and Senegal in the past year. As I know my sister pretty well, her favorite past time is going to the market place and bargaining for items. In Africa there is no such thing as the set price. The act of bartering lives on. I was told multilateral bartering is common occurrence within Addis Ababa NegaDes.
My sister claimed in her long emails that the market place in Dakar is more hectic than an Abesha club on Saturday Nights. A fool and his money are parted easily. The first price is never the right price, 100% markup is more like it.
Outrageous markups are not limited to Dakar’s market place; I dregdge up going shopping for a Beg (sheep, lamb or whatever you call it) with my grandfather in Addis.You start at 160 birr and end up 60 birr as final price. Ya ya, I know that was a long time ago, now the beg cost an arm and two legs. I recall the Beg special on African Market last Ethiopian Christmas, you pay a 120$ American and they will deliver a live Beg to your families’ home in any major city of Ethiopia.
So my sister went shopping in Merkato, and much like most of my family members, she is sharp enough not to wear or show anything that screams,
I just came from America, charge me extra!”
The quandary was that she took an oblivious Bole Lij with her. This girl, as I was told had never been to Merkato. To top it all, she insisted on speaking English even though she had lived all her life in Addis.
Merkato as you know is the largest open-air market in Africa. If it’s in Ethiopia, you can find it in Merkato. If it’s not sold in Merkato then it’s not in Ethiopia. Merkato is not a marketplace of Addis, but a city on its own.
…the two square kilometer sprawling metropolis is a seething mass of stalls, people, police, trucks, food, trade and dust, with each carefully organized section acting as a novel insight into Ethiopian culture and tradition. It is said that you can buy anything here – from a Kalashnikov to a camel – and having experienced it, one is willing to believe it.
In honor of everything and anything ‘Sold in Merkato,’ Bernos is proud to present the second of the new set of T-shirt. Sold in Merkato will be printed on Olive American Apparel T-shirt; coming to a monitor near you by the end of November.
Published by October 18th, 2006 in Bernos, Design and Shameless Plug.Send this post to a friend
You should sell that t-shirt with discounts for gurages, and outrageous mark-ups for faras. Merkato style!
Yes, of course I’m gurage. What a fara question.
How could someone live in Addis but never go to Merkato? That’s like living in Vegas and never seeing the casinos. That baffles me! I remember visiting Merkato on my first trip back to Addis and it was an experience and 1/2. My mom was laughing at me while I was trying to haggle for a lower price, of course in Amarenga, and I didn’t get it my way. Then she said to me China town yalesh meselesh ende? Of course we laughed and she told the story to the whole family and I tell you I don’t dare try that one again. I’m still traumatized by the experience ha/ha.
Your t-shirt design concepts are amazing! I’m glad it’ll be out before Christmas, a great gift idea.
Celebratelife we are a fan of you too!
We had gone to Puerto Vallarta this past summer and were surprised to find a mercato there (they call it Merkado.) The set up, the filth, the aroma? looks/smells the same, and you negotiate the same way…..si senior
You guys are the bomb! How creative. I wore the one that says desta keremela last weekend and got a lot of compliments.
Keep up the good work.
You are right Timo, The word merkato comes from the Italian Mercato which means open market… Mercado Mercato market all come from the Latin root word mercatus
its all very interesting but what really interested me how Mexico Square is named
Who knows what they call their adebabaye but you guys make me wanna go to Mexico this winter and I will be sporting my Bernos shirts cause I’m Addis Ababa Classic with a Mercato attitude and just chewing on my Desta Keremela, strolling like Bikila! And of course ET may phone home, nano, nano. Mexico, or somewhere, here I come. Is it winter yet?
Lol Celebrate life…
Dear Celebratelife, U shouldn’t be serprized about ppl who live in Addis and never been to Merkato especially at a young age….If you have nothing to buy I don’t see the point on going considering it’s a crazy, kiotic place …. It’s a different thing if you are visiting Addis and you find it exciting to visit Merkato, but for the locals…? It’s another Kiotic place they want to avoid. U don’t value such things and places unless you have seen otherwise….
ahh Merkato….the sights, the sounds, the smell…oh the smell. I remember going with my parents when I was young. It was fun enjoying the sights from the backseat of the car as my dad drove around taking my mother to her next destination…kebe tera, berbere tera,etc.
I remember being terrified of walking between the Anbesa AutoBoos around the Adarash area. And the feeling, when we get new shoes…:-) ah memories.
Anyway, I like your new design. I am getting one.
aaaaaaaaaah. My t-shirt!
Can one buy with check if one is paranoid of abesha online stores???
AND
I have previously asked about how a Mexico Square came to be in Addis. I was told there is an Ethiopia/Addis Square in Mexico … because at some point the two countries were trying to be buddy buddy… but iyegoFerooNim lihon yichilal, yanin siloo::
Interesting - but that comment really pissed me of for some reason!
but i guess you are saying all ethiopians are THIEFS! Not to be so hard on you but I'm sure there are other who feel this way too… That really discourages me…
if you really want a shirt but the only reason you havent made an order is because you dont trust us… that is really lame.. gin we are listening - Personally I want to educate people…so please tell us how we could gain you trust..Seriously
I am a huge fan of online shopping, because of the convenience. Call me lazy but I don’t want to fill out a form, put it in an envelope, look for a stamp and walk to the post office when I can just click and get my confirmation in 2 minutes. I think it’s about your comfort zone about shopping in general whether online or in a store it’s all the same. If I’m going to trust anyone it’s going to be an Abesha site.
Abesha stores or not, especillaly when I see Pay Pal I know I’m good to go. Thank God Bernos offers onine shopping, love the convenience. I hope you guys will also, at some point, come out with calendars, mugs, and caps. I’ve ordered, on-line from other Ethiopian sites and also no problem.
nolawi, glad to really piss you off and see you go in a drift like that.
you didn’t answer my question. so, I wait.
Sure you can buy with check… we have actually made special arrangements with lots of people… email info[@]bernos.org for the address…. Thanks you.. We will also put your question on the FAQ's
Shalom Shalom, it IS offensive that you specifically said “Can one buy with check if one is paranoid of abesha online stores???”
Why do you mistrust ONLY abesha online stores? Are you one of those confused abesha’s who suffer from identity crises (you know, get embarrassed to speak our language, disrespect our culture, and my favorite, tell everybody that they don’t hang with abesha’s)? I sense there is self hatred going on here.
Nolawi, please don’t get discouraged, the Abesha community needs more people like you. Not everyone qualifies to get a credit card and it may be just that some people don’t know how to come out and say it, I don’t have a credit card.
Celebrate Life, Thanks, I won’t be discouraged…
but Shalom Shalom brings a good point….. it is the job of the merchant to make on a certain level trust the service… we are learning…. & we are presistent.
Shalom I’m sorry i went of on a tangent, i had just woken up from a late night!
and Timo, Qelel argeh yazew:: The thing is not as complicated as you saw it.
Nolawi is right, it is up to the seller to pacify the customer that it is more than okay to shop at their site. You already have a “PayPal Verified” logo on your home page but you can add a link that goes to a privacy/security statement or something. ShalomShalom concern is legit. As a web developer, I have seen a start up sites (habesha or not) that don’t want to pay an arm and a leg for a VeriSign online transactions only to have credit card numbers stored in their databases. They may not have bad intentions but if it gets in the wrong hands… Yikes!
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international .fetuer magazein .
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al so where is my laptop computer . please doent
forget me aither doent took al ways . i be came
krezy thank you
yes this best qaletiy crezy tishert. a nace deisgen . .so please tray .send .one box baced . please tray agreement