Life Intermediate Student’s Book
9c Page 111 READING TEXT
The art of the deal
By Andrew McCarthy
I’m in Marrakech, the bustling heart of Morocco at the base of the Atlas Mountains,
with my son, Sam. He’s eight. We’ve come here with Mohamed, a friend who owns
a shop in our neighbourhood in New York. We’re regular customers at Mohamed’s
shop, where Sam can often be found negotiating with his friend. When they’re not
bargaining, they’re chatting about swords, or camels or the desert. ‘You need to
come to Morocco, to Marrakech,’ Mohamed told me. ‘I’ll show you around and
teach Sam how to really get a bargain!’ So here we are.
We meet up with Mohamed over a cup of mint tea at a table outside the tiny Café
ben Youssef, deep in the medina, the old city of Marrakech. We’re sitting in an area
bordering the exotic stalls that make the suq – marketplace. Vendors with carts
offer freshly squeezed orange juice, others sell dates or figs. Nearby are the back-
alley workshops that supply the goods to this world-famous market.
Later, as we stroll around, Mohamed introduces us to weavers and olive sellers, tile
makers and rug merchants. He also begins the first of his bargaining tutorials for
Sam.
‘Everything in Morocco is open to negotiation, Sam. When you hear a price, the
first thing you say is “Too much – bezaf” and then walk away.’
‘But what if I like it?’
‘When you see something you like, maybe a lamp, you ask about something else
instead. Then, as you walk out, you ask, “And how much is that lamp?” as though
you’d just noticed it and aren’t really that interested in it.’
We turn a corner and are greeted with the scent of sweet-smelling orange blossoms.
‘Don’t always give an offer. Make them continue to lower the price. Oh, and wear
something Moroccan,’ Mohamed continues as we enter a fairly large shop. Most of
the stalls in Marrakech specialise in one thing, but not this one. Decorative and
Life lethal-looking swords hang beside soft hand-dyed fabrics; large camel bones
covered in writing sit beside massive copper lamps. It is here that Sam spots his
first ornate box. ‘Look, a treasure chest!’ It’s made of wood, and painted red and
gold. He opens the lid, then closes it. ‘Cool.’ Then he spots a tall, cobalt blue, tear-
shaped vial –an old perfume bottle. ‘Four hundred dirham,’ the shopkeeper
pronounces. Fifty dollars. Sam says nothing. Whether he’s too shy or is practising
Mohamed’s bargaining technique, I can’t tell. He eventually agrees to pay 200
dirham, about $24. I’d say the bottle is worth $10, at most. Clearly, his negotiating
skills need a bit of work. ‘Just to get started, Dad,’ Sam reassures me as he pays for
the bottle.
We spend a few days sightseeing around Marrakech, but Sam really has eyes for
only one thing. Late one afternoon, we return to the shop where Sam saw the
treasure chest. ‘You have returned. Very good.’ The shopkeeper opens his arms. He
places the chest on the floor. Sam opens the lid. He runs his fingers over it.
The shopkeeper speaks. ‘Give me 2,500.
Sam shakes his eight-year-old head. ‘Eight hundred.’
‘I like your babouches,’ says the merchant. Sam’s wearing a pair of bright yellow,
Moroccan men’s slippers. He ignores the comment.
‘You’re very good. I’ll take 1,800 dirham,’ the merchant announces.
‘One thousand.’
Both are silent. Neither blinks. What happens next happens fast.
‘Fifteen hundred, and it’s yours.’
‘Twelve hundred.’
‘Thirteen hundred.’
‘Yes!’
The man sticks out his hand. Sam grabs it. The deal is done. Mohamed will be
proud.
Life
blink (v) /blɪŋk/ open and close your eyes very quickly
merchant (n) /ˈmɜːtʃənt/ someone who sells things
vendor (n) /ˈvendə/ someone who sells things
workshop (n) /ˈwɜːkˌʃɒp/ a place where people make things
Workshop (To be done in pairs)
1 Do you like bringing back souvenirs back from holiday? Discuss why you think
people would bring back items like these.
brochures from galleries, museums,etc decorative objects:pictures, ceramics, etc
duty-free goods locally made products postcards T-shirts with slogans
used tickets
2 Read the article quickly. Decide what kind of shopping experience the article
describes.
a. buying crafts direct from the maker
b. choosing holiday gifts for friends and family
c. looking for bargains in local markets
3 Read the article again. Answer the questions.
1. Who are the three main people in the article and why do they go to Morocco?
2. What two things does Sam buy and how much does he pay for them?
3. Which is Sam’s most successful purchase?
4 Look at the words (1-8). Find the things that are described with
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these words in the article. Complete the phrases. Then think of
three more things that can be described using these words.
1 beautiful old ________________________
2 world-famous ________________________
3 freshly-squeezed ________________________
4 deadly-looking ________________________
5 hand-dyed ________________________
6 massive copper ________________________
7 tall blue ________________________
8 bright yellow, Moroccan ________________________
5 Look at the wordbuilding box. Answer the questions
The world-famous market place is “famous around the world”. What do other
compound adjectives from exercise 4 mean.
world-famous freshly-squeezed deadly-looking
hand-dyed
Can you give examples of a
a. well-known sportsperson?
b. a best-selling singer?
Life c.
d.
old-fashioned clothes?
a hand-made item?
6 Match the two parts of the sentences containing compound adjectives.
Oxford Street in London is a world- long event every August.
Haggis is a well- squeezed orange juice for breakfast.
My sister prefers to wear old- known food from Scotland.
We have a ten- famous street.
The Edinburgh festival a month- free perfumes in most airports.
My local café serves an all- fashioned clothes.
You can buy duty- day breakfast.
I love to have freshly- year-old son called Andy.
7 The writer concludes “Mohamed will be proud”. Look at the article again and
chose the pieces of advice Mohamed gives to Sam.
8 Choose the pieces of advice that Sam follows. How effective was the advice?
How do you know?
1 The first thing you say is “Too much – bezaf” and then walk away.
2 When you see something you like, maybe a lamp, you ask about
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something else instead. Then, as you walk out, you ask, “And how
much is that lamp? as though you’d just noticed it.
3 Don’t always give an offer. Make them continue to lower the price.
4 Wear something Moroccan.
9 Work in pairs. Describe typical souvenirs that people take home from your
country.
10 You are a market trader. Choose four of these objects. Find or draw a picture of
each object and think how you will describe it. Think about: its origin, age and
material, and any interesting facts about it. Decide on a price for each object.
boomerang bottle box clock coin figure hat lamp rug stamp d
sword watch
