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The Rosebank Craft Market in Johannesburg is in a hectic, colorful and souvenir-packed retail space in the Mall of Rosebank. The Craft Market has many interesting curios, pieces of art and tourist kitch, and fascinating vendors.
The first thing to note is if you are a shopper who likes to quietly walk around and inspect products, find another place to do your shopping. As soon as a tourist enters the market, he or she will immediately be approached by any of a number of vendors who will try to attract potential customners to their cramped retail space. Prepare for lines like: “My friend can I please show you something?” or “For you and only you, I will make a special deal.”
These vendors have had hours and hours of practice on awestruck tourists who can easily be overwhelmed by the energetic feeling of the market as well as the thousands of products on sale.
One of the most important things to keep in mind is that visitors must bargain. A sign in the market proclaims, “This is Africa, we bargain.” The most exciting aspect of the market is haggling with the vendors for a better price. In fact, once a shopper gets the hang of it, haggling may become an enjoyable part of buying interesting stuff from interesting vendors.
