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Interesting Experience at Farmacia Mascaras


LaJeanie

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While I know that most store owners/vendors are open to negotiation of their prices, I had no idea the same may be true of pharmacies! 

I asked for a medication that I usually fill in Chapala and for which I'm charged 37 to 53 pesos, depending on the pharmacy. At this pharmacy, I was quoted 110 pesos by the woman at the counter. When I walked away, she said she would take 100! How about that? Only a hundred...

 

 

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I am curious, LaJeanie, there are two pharmacies next to and to the West of the entry to the Maskaras Clinic. Which one are you talking about? I guess I do not know the name of either. Are you talking about the one closest to Maskaras Clinic or the one just west of the first pharmacy?

I have always received very competitive prices at the pharmacy closest to the entry to the Maskaras Cinic.

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That depends.  In the situation described, the poster was normally paying half or less than the quoted price elsewhere and the shopkeeper should have offered a better price.

A certain amount of negotiation is expected in other situations.  It is not uncommon to be quoted a "gringo price" which is higher.😉

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I get most of my medications from Maskaras Farmacia, closest to the clinic.  One medicine is half off of their already discounted price.  Other things I get at Farmacia Guadalajara because of brands that sell in bottles.  Bottled medicines are much cheaper than in blister packs.  I don't want to pay more for packaging that is a PIA to use.

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I get some of my meds up north and when in Ajijic, I do the exact thing you do, Yo1. And I seem to get very good prices at the pharmacy  next to the clinic. Sure, I show them my INAPAM card and ask for my discount, and they have been very nice to me. That is why I was surprised at reading La Jeanie's post above. It would appear that she just joined and this was her first post.

So I would like to say, welcome LaJeanie. I hope you will post more.

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3 hours ago, kam said:

I find the whole notion of haggling with artisans, vendors and  shopkeepers disrespectful and demeaning. 

It's been part of the culture for centuries. In fact, where haggling is popular in many places around the world, THEY find you disrespectful if you don't.

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4 hours ago, gringohombre said:

I have always gotten good competitive pricing and great service from Cristina's in the El Torito mall

I have as well, and I feel they know what they are doing. I had a prescription and it said take 3X for a week. The girl said know that will kill you and called the doctor who admitted the error. I was to take one ,,,once,

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I find price shopping for medicine we take regularly to be well worth while. Farmacia Guadalajara is best for many common meds. Farmacia Maskaras is best for unusual medicines as they will order and have it the next day. They also deliver (wonderful when your car isn't working).

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8 hours ago, Alfa said:

I would certainly like to know the name of the farmacia in Chapala at which she gets such a good price for her meds. I know there is often a difference in price between drug stores but this variation is beyond the norm.

I don´t know exactly which pharmacy the OP was referring to, but here in Chapala many people claim to get the best prices at the Farmacia Ahuacatlán, right across from Santander Bank.  And Ahorros Pharmacy right before the bus station is another option for good low prices.

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23 hours ago, kam said:

I find the whole notion of haggling with artisans, vendors and  shopkeepers disrespectful and demeaning. 

In Spanish-language publications, the idea of "regatear" (try to get an artisan vendor to lower a price) is truly being discouraged and most thoughtful people, foreigners and Mexicans alike, agree that asking for a lower price on an artisan's goods is incorrect.  Most artisans price their products substantially below a retail price.  For example, if you shop at Mexico City's Museo de Arte Popular, the items are priced approximately three times the vendor's price if the vendor sold direct to you.  At the Casa de Artesanías in Morelia, the same is true.  Worse yet, the museums accept the items on consignment from the artisans and a much of the time the artisan doesn't get paid at all for what the museum sells. The artisan has to go to the museum any number of times to ask for payment for an item or items that are no longer in the museum stores, only to be told, "Oh, that item broke," or "Sorry, but it's been lost somewhere," or "Come back next month, we don't have the funds to pay you right now."  

If the vendor's stated price is more than you want to pay, say gracias and go elsewhere.  If you hear a vendor offer an item to another client at a substantially lower price, an identical item to the one that interests you, ask if you can have it at the same price.  You don't know the story behind the sale: maybe the potential buyer has purchased extensively from that artisan in the past and is giving a discounted price to a well-known client.  For example, I know many, many artisans in various states of Mexico--as do many of you.  If you or I have purchased items from Sr. Fulano in the past, he might well say, "The price is 500 pesos--but to you, it's 400."  You don't know the reason, you just think you're getting the higher "gringo price".  

If you look hesitant to buy, and the vendor OFFERS you a lower price, buy the item.  

Watch for these words in publications about artisans' work: "DI NO A REGATEAR."   "Say no to bargaining."

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I am a regular client of a store in Ajijic and the other day I didn't have the exact amount and the vendor didn't want to break a $500 note so said...you are a good customer, don't sorry about and he gave me a $20 discount!  Very nice of him and I didn't ask for it but did thank him profusely....thx for sharing Liana.

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I would never haggle with an artisan. But I have no problem haggling in a culture of haggling. For example, the Mercado Libertad in Guad, or the tainguis in Tonala. It's expected, it's promoted, and paying list price for most things is a mistake.

However, if the culture is changing, I'm all for it. My favourite car dealer in Canada offered one price only; no dicking around. It was great.

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What i have found to be true is that the actual artisans who are selling the things they themselves make have fairly set prices. But middle men, like the guys who have those suitcases full of silver jewelry, blankets, and such, will start off asking far more than what they expect to get, and one would be a fool to pay the price they originally tell you. If they say 1000 pesos, they expect to haggle with you down to about 750. 

There's a tianguis here that has all kinds of tourist items and when I asked how much for the vanilla, because I needed some, he said 130 pesos. I just laughed, said I'm not a tourist, and walked away, since I can buy the exact same brand and size in a local store down the block for 80.

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Mudgirl is absolutely right. When I'm on the west coach at the various beaches, I know after 20 years of doing this that they at least double the price before they start. And listen, when the dealing starts with the vendor dropping the price, the game is afoot. When I say double, I don't mean the price they expect to get but the price they probably paid. But of course we are all grownups: I'm pretty sure most of us are capable of figuring out when haggling is fair and when it's not.

It's also quite true that items at the Monday tianguis in Chapala are overall priced lower than items at the Ajijic tianguis on Wednesdays. Whether this is worth haggling over is not for me to say.

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On 12/9/2018 at 5:16 PM, Alfa said:

I would certainly like to know the name of the farmacia in Chapala at which she gets such a good price for her meds. I know there is often a difference in price between drug stores but this variation is beyond the norm.

She has gotten meds at Farmacias Altimed, Similares, and others. She expecially likes Chapala Farmacia as the young female pharmacist is friendly, helpful and counts her change peso by peso. 

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On ‎12‎/‎9‎/‎2018 at 4:06 PM, kam said:

I find the whole notion of haggling with artisans, vendors and  shopkeepers disrespectful and demeaning. 

I have encountered price differences and simply said I can get this for …..@ Farmacia Christina for ……  I don't think that is haggling or disrespectful.    I have also encountered in a store asking for a price on an item and a Mexican asked as well. I knew there was a difference. I just said she pays this?    I pay that??  I got it for her price.   It seems people get so provoked at buying things or restaurants. There is no reason at why a person cannot get their message across without being nasty.  Often I get a pretty high price to wash my car. I say but this car is chico  and drop down 5-10p. and laugh. They do too and I pay full price.

 

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  • 3 years later...
On 12/9/2018 at 4:06 PM, kam said:

I find the whole notion of haggling with artisans, vendors and  shopkeepers disrespectful and demeaning. 

That is the normal way here-get used to it,

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