$1.50 Put-Put taxi and Thai Negotiations 101

Where are these in NYC when you need a quick ride? I know we have the rickshaw pedal cabs, but who needs a guy riding a bike when you can ride in the middle of the street in a golf cart? I want my Put-Put taxi! Not only can they zip through traffic, but $1.50 USD can take you a long ass way. You can't even get into a NY cab with the meter reading less than $2.50.........I don't think I'm going to make it back to the states.

These put-put taxis are so common, they are part of Thailand's arts and crafts. Now at the Suan-Lum Night Bazaar you can pick up a Heineken model put-put for 350 ฿ (Baht). Don't do it! We've mastered the art of Thai bargaining. First, cut the price in half! It doesn't matter what you are trying to buy, if you look gullible (a.k.a. American) you will pay more. Once you've established a reserve price, test if the seller will go lower. If not, slowly work your way up to a "fair" price.

If the seller is not offended and will go lower, ask "what is the price for 2"....then 3...etc. Once you get the wholesale price for 3 or 4, use that as your new base reserve price for a quantity of 1! When employing this technique you can buy your very own Heineken put-put model for a mere 170 ฿. This also works for negotiating your put-put taxi fares. Good luck!