The Maasai Market Experience

Today was a venture to the Maasai Market.  Friday's Maasai Market is a bit of cultural tug-of-war taking place at one the nicest, most Westernly developed shopping centers in East Africa. From driving onto the Village Market premises, once might feel you are in America....fighting for a parking spot, walking through the beautifully architecturally landscaped foodcourt, strolling up the corridors of the mall-like shopping center  and landing in the covered parking where the Maasai Market is held.  There, you return to a little taste of Africa.

The market is made up of rows and rows of vendors and artists with their various crafts and goods laid out on the ground. Their "spaces" are not at all spacious and the vendors are usually squished into sitting in the middle of their goods. Those chosing not to cramp into their space are dutifully taking their place in the already crowded aisle so that they can demonstrate their ever-effective sales tactics to the hundreds of tourists perusing over the Kenyan art and artifacts.


I used to love the Maasai Market, but the newness and fun wore off about a year ago. By "fun" I mean the relentless badgering of the determined and persistent vendors calling out their mantra of sales tactic phrases to the passersby. 
"Sista, come see what I have." 
"Karibu." (Welcome) 
"Looking is free. Touching is free." 
"Mama, I have something for you, just what you are looking for." 

And all that "fun" comes before even stopping to examine something in particular.  Now, that is where the real fun begins.  They will of course begin with a phrase like, "I give you a very good price," followed by the quote of an outrageous price that no one in their right mind would consider. Thus, beginning the bartering war.  As soon as you speak a little Kiswahili, especially using number words, the price will go down.  Even if you are not a resident, they will usually say they will give you "resident prices."  All a horrible display of sales tactics.  It can be entertaining for awhile.  A fun game.  It then turns into an annoying battle of bargaining over and over and over.  I always have to remind myself that these people are just trying to make a living themselves. 


Today's Maasai Market experience was surprisingly fun again. Several contributors to that were that I went alone and had a list.  Well, I wasn't actually alone.  My friend Jennifer went with me, but she is a resident and not in need of any sort of assistance so that pressure was off. And a list. That's the only way to go (for me, anyway).  I went to the vendors I know, got exactly what I was looking for and at the prices I had set in my mind.  Having my little notebook with my list, including the prices I would pay and how many I needed turned out to be a lifesaver! My standard answer became "Sorry. You are not on my list," which was usually followed by a chorus of other vendors poking their heads around to ask, "Am I on your list?"

All in all, I had one of the better Maasai Market experiences than I have in a long time!  And I got a jump-start on my shopping for things to take home for the holidays!  I believe today constitutes as a successful day.  Whew!