"The North Face"

...I'll take ignorant redneck over back-packer egotist. The travel-as-validation dick-measuring makes hostels fucking unbearable.

To steal from Diaz - "No matter how far a donkey goes it can't come back a horse."

 

As for the North Face, it is what it is. A formerly quality brand since sold to a larger parent company that cashed in the name brand by selling now shitty gear at high prices to yuppies who don't care anyway.

 

Yeah, people haggle.

But you're still the douchebag who was haggling for a jacket for under 5 bucks. You could have just said like seven fucking dollars, and had a jacket and good feelings all around.

But, in accordance with local customs, you tried to rip off everybody, and they ripped you off. I know tibet's peaceful and all, but I bet if you had found him again you would have got your ass kicked....

 

Tibet is far from peaceful actually.

 

Well, they say they are. Or Bjork does. Or something like that.

But the point is, you would have got your ass jumped.

 

Thank you for telling me what the point is and what would have happened.
I always wanted to know that and hear it from some random internet guy who thinks he knows all.

 

Well now you know.

Because only a fucking moron would expect to end up on top in that situation. like, somebody who would be unqualified to cut through the alleyway behind mcdonalds without an escort.

Interesting that you needed telling from someone on the internet, wheeling-dealing globe-trotter as you are.

 

I never used my travelling as an excuse for anything, you guys keep bringing it up.

You really expected me to go back and pick a fight over a fake $5 jacket?
It's a game and I lost. Kudos to the guy.
All I wanted to do was tell a North Face story I thought was mildly interesting and suddenly all the drama queens come out of their holes.

 

No, you tried to hustle a guy at his own game and offered him $5 for a double layer jacket then you were bitching that he kept the inner layer and you get cold without it. All I was saying is if you didn't lowball and gave him, say $10 or $15, you would have the inner layer.

When you walked away he was saying "oh yeah, fuck this guy" as he was taking out the inner layer.. then he called you back over.

Roor is right, I'm surprised you didn't get jumped by Tibetans to take the shell back plus all the rest of your money.

 

Women in North Face are hawt!

 

It was just a friendly haggle in a culture where haggling is common practise and expected. If he didn't want $5 for the jacket he would not have sold it to me, it's as simple as that. Plus I know I still paid 'tourist tax'.

Ofcourse they won't jump me, we closed the deal and that's that.

 

He didn't want $5, that's why he took the liner out and sold it someone else. I operate differently but then again $5, $10, $20, $30 isn't shit to me that's 30 min max at a bar. Personally I would've tossed him extra to put a smile on the face of a poor Tibetan merchant.

Yet you believe in welfare.. just at the expense of everyone else it seems.

 

I brought him $5 more than he would have had otherwise, didn't I?
I could have gone to an official store and bought the same jacket for much more money, but I gave that merchant my business, because I do believe that small business owners need it more than big stores.

Ofcourse $5 to us is not much, or $10, or $1000, but that's totally besides the point.
I still paid more than a Tibetan would pay, which is absolutely fine by me. The extra $10 you throw at him doesn't help much. Sure, he has $10 more to spend on booze, but the thing that really makes a difference is to actually give them business, no matter how small it is.
Plus if you toss him some extra, he will expect it next time too and be disappointed if not everyone tosses him $10. Or even get angry at others because they don't do the same.
Raising prices like that will also hurt many poor local people who can't afford the raised prices.

And believe me when I say that I put many a smile on poor merchants faces, usually they are more happy when you joke around with them and actually take time to talk to them than a few extra $$ you throw at him.

 

it's not the same jacket, I've seen those knock-offs they don't hold up

 

I get the feeling you were one of those 'nice' slave owners in a previous life...

 

I don't believe in reincarnation.

 

Paying high prices doesn't help people. It gentrifies tourist areas and drives out working class locals.

 

You are so sure about making those poor merchants happy...they must be keeping their smiles long after you bought their shit for $5. :2thumbsup:

Anyway, never seen this brand before. Its unheard of in my current part of the world.

 

It's like you're talking about training a dog.

If you let it sleep on the couch, or have an extra five bucks, it will expect it every time.

And of course if somebody feels nice and gives him a few dollars extra, it will totally ruin the local economy, he will never sell to locals again and it will gentrify the indigenous market for counterfit outdoors wear, when they've got thousands of years of customs about not paying more than five dollars for an authentic traditional tibetian counterfit nylon jacket.

Besides, if you give poor people money, they'll just blow it on booze. Better rip them off, because they're poor and have no chance of escaping that life... hey, it's their culture to be poor and ripped off, wouldn't want to disrupt that delicate local culture.