You know what I'm referring to: you're touring an area when suddenly, you're swarmed by fifteen vendors aggressively trying to sell you something. Some of them may be legitimate, and some of them may be grifters, but all of them pile on you like they're moths and you're the flame.
Only from my own experience, watch out in the following cities for these aggressive vendors:
Los Angeles - I'll start with my home town. In the tourist hotspots (e.g. Hollywood), expect to see two types of aggressive vendors: those trying to sell you their albums (on CDs 😅) and individuals dressed as various fictional characters trying to get you to take photos with them. Leave the tourist hotspots and they won't exist.
Brussels - There is a certain section of Brussels that our tour guide called "restaurant ally" where she said the first rule is to never stop while walking through. I learned the hard way when I stopped for just one second to get a closer look at a menu, and out of nowhere, someone from the back came out and started listing every dish in existence they served and how delicious it was. As I started walking away, his voice got louder, and soon, other employees from neighboring restaurants were trying to lure me into their places to eat as well.
Beijing and Shanghai - Street vendors, mall vendors...it doesn't matter. They don't stop yelling for your business. Pass through any crowded commercial areas and you'll hear the shouts of vendors over the noise of everything else, some of whom even use megaphones to out-shout others. Let's not overlook the ones who will show up beside you out of nowhere flashing the goods they're selling in your faces while simply greeting you with "hello, hello!"
Of course, this is only from my own experience. I'm sure there are other cities with more aggressive vendors. Please do share them.
Submitted August 17, 2023 at 03:22AM by ZhangtheGreat https://ift.tt/rqolPNg
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