Sick n tired of verdulero cheats...

[sergio]

Yes, Argentines get cheated too but not NEARLY as much and not to such an exaggerated extent. The immorality of these actions is astonishing and one really has to wonder just what is being to transmitted to children in both state and Catholic schools and, of course, at home. What infuriates me is the haughty attitude that many Argentines take toward the US. They condemn US foreign policy, castigate US capitalism saying how immoral the US is while they look you in the eye and rob you.

 

[citygirl]

These threads depress me I have to say, either I'm oblivious or I've had the greatest luck out there b/c I don't recall ever being cheated. The guy selling fruit on the corner usually tells me if the things are fresh or not and gives me a fair price (AFAIK) and is always pleasant.

Sigh... it's depressing to read - I think I'll keep living in my little bubble.

 

[Celia]

Citygirl, it depends where you live, things are more cosmopolitan in Palermo, Recoleta, Belgrano and the verduleros are from a different background, educated and with self respect....
there is actually one woman who refuses to serve me in my barrio. I tried to buy a couple of very old dark wrinkled lemons and although I didn't ask the price per kilo, she smiled in a nasty way and said, oh these are very very expensive now and quoted me over double the going rate. She didn't want my money, she wanted to tell me to pi$$ off...

 

[starlucia]

Citygirl, it depends where you live, things are more cosmopolitan in Palermo, Recoleta, Belgrano and the verduleros are from a different background, educated and with self respect....

I live in Congreso, which isn't "cosmopolitan" so much as "a total s***hole", but I've also had pretty good experiences. I often ask the prices before I buy, but I go to the same friendly verduleros over and over and have built decent relationships: one young guy warns me when the kiwi aren't ripe and tells me "no, pick the spinach from there, it's fresher", and an older guy always throws in something for free, like a couple of plums or a zapallito because "you'll need it for your minestrone." Of course, the other day some brand-new gordita told me that bananas were $9/kilo, at which point I said "no, thank you" and decided I will not be going back there.

The fact is, dishonest business practices and third-world countries go hand-in-hand. Foreigners who choose to live in Argentina know they'll be targeted at some point; it's something we accept when we move here. Tourists are easy targets because they don't know any better, but if you do know they're jacking up the total, why give in, why hand them your money? Just walk away, or demand a price breakdown and re-calculation until they give you the right sum. If you don't let them take advantage of you, maybe they'll stop.

 

[Celia]

I do walk away or put things back & I started this thread because I ended up with only 1 or 2 places out of 10 where I can go. It's sad...

 

[Tangerine]

I have read over 150 of your ~245 posts.
Do you think the problem may be you and the way you come across.
>She didn't want my money, she wanted to tell me to pi$$ off...
Yes she does not want you giving her a hard time about everything and would prefer you shopped somewhere else.
Get over it and move on.
You don’t appear not to have had one pleasant experience since you arrived in B.A.

 

[MizzMarr]

Of course, the other day some brand-new gordita told me that bananas were $9/kilo, at which point I said "no, thank you" and decided I will not be going back there.

I just wanted to say that bananas HAVE gone up to $9/kilo. They were one of the benchmarks of inflation that was recently highlighted. Carrots, too.

 

[Davidglen77]

Bananas were $6,99 KG in Disco yesterday afternoon, all fresh and new, on Callo and Rivadavia. But I do know they have gone up in price in a lot of other places.

 

[starlucia]

I just wanted to say that bananas HAVE gone up to $9/kilo. They were one of the benchmarks of inflation that was recently highlighted. Carrots, too.

Heh, I'm glad you mentioned that. At the time, I remember wondering if, sadly, that wasn't a gringo tax, but rather the actual price Fortunately, a few places in my 'hood still sell them for around 6/kilo.

Lemons are another one; they went up 100% in like, a day! Actually, the lemon tree in my partner's mother's front yard recently got ransacked (someone climbed over the cement wall in the middle of the night and took every last lemon), and I suspect it's because of how pricey they're getting. And now I have no organic lemons

 

[Celia]

I just saw carrots today for 4.50.........by the way why is chicken 13 a kilo in my barrio, but online disco its 5.60 and at coto its 7.50???? They must just buy it at disco and resell it for double...