Les meilleures boutiques mode et cadeaux Rajasthan
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Practical information : Treat yourself (& others) Rajasthan
Timetable
Stores generally open from 10am to 8pm, 7 days a week. Smaller shops may have longer opening hours.
Budget & Tips
With the exception of chain stores (Fabindia, international brands) and shops selling luxury goods, you'll need to pay in cash.
Sales
There is no official sales period in India. Traditionally, stores clear their stock at the end of the year, after the Diwali festival. Small shops never have sales.
What's very local
With the exception of chain stores, you can negotiate prices. In fact, this is the rule. To haggle properly, set yourself a maximum price you don't want to exceed, and show only limited interest in the item you're after. Put forward any objective or subjective arguments that could justify a lower price (a color you don't like, a manufacturing defect, poor finish, etc.). Early mornings are the best time for bargains, as merchants believe that their first sale will bring them good luck for the rest of the day.
Tourist traps
Many shopkeepers take advantage of tourists' naiveté by trying to sell them fakes at the price of the real thing, new for the price of old. There are countless fake pashminas and cashmeres on offer at gold prices. Scarves may be soft to the touch, but they're not pashmina. Pashmina is not a soft wool, which is why it is mixed with silk. Beware, too, of fake antiques, which are aged by leaving new objects in the open air and sandblasting them. For handicrafts, nothing beats buying directly from the artisan.
In Jaipur, India's gem capital, fake or inferior stones are commonplace. Some jewelers will even produce false certificates of origin. Unless you're an expert yourself, don't hesitate to have stones appraised by an independent laboratory before you buy.
Scams in the souvenir and handicraft trade are commonplace, and Indians don't see the harm in acting in bad faith. They consider that if you buy their bullshit, you're in charge.