Page 86 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL MAGAZINE FALL 2023 DISCOVERING TURKEY

While you wait for your tea or raki, the shop-
keepers show how to make silk and how rugs are
knotted. Presentations are short and sweet, just
enough to qualify as educational. Then the patter
turns from rug making to rug buying. As the com-
pany’s grandfatherly leader touts his products,
helpers rapidly unfurl rug after rug, of all sizes,
colors, materials and designs, hoping one will
catch your eye. They offer special tour-group dis-
counts. More raki - that too. Experience tells them
that in every tour group, a couple of folks have fat
wallets and space on a floor at home.
While someone maxes out a credit card, the rest
of the group heads for the exits before they too are
bewitched by these exceptional salesmen. We
know how good they are; we have four beautiful
Turkish rugs in our San Diego home. That means
we have helped the poor women weavers, enriched
the rich rug merchants, and rewarded our nice
tour guide with the kickback he gets for each sale.
This gambit is not exclusive to Turkey, although
they are the masters. We’ve been through these
dog and pony shows in many countries around the
world. The sales pitch isn’t always about carpets -
it can be about jewelry, paintings, ceramics, cloth-
ing, and even candy and nuts. Your best bet may
be to return later or shop without a guide. Several
merchants told us their deals are better when they
don’t have to pay a commission. We didn’t need
another rug, so we couldn’t test their advice.

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