Sales force to be recogned with

Child sellers descend on us as we make our way to the bus

Throughout my travels so far in Southeast Asia I have come across my far share of street side sellers. Their wears tend to be variations on a theme. There are enough scarves in this part of the world to wrap the world over.

For the most part they are all quite pushy, but not aggressive. They let you know what they have on offer and sometimes add in a 'lucky lucky' or 'beautiful lady' to help reel you in, but generally speaking they let you off the hook if you give them a 'no, thank you'.

Here in Cambodia I think they send the kids to special schools for selling. Kids as young as 4 years old are racing after you with their baskets of goods rattling off prices and rationales for their particular product (which is no different from the child next to them). They ask where you are from and the list off the capital city, government structures, languages spoken, and climate info. All the while showing you their goods and coming up with multiple options - 1 for $2, 2 for$3, and 3 for $5. Most kids can run this routine in multiple languages and do it without breaking a sweat.

They get close to you and pick up key aspects of your demeanor to help them sell. If you are wearing a particular colour, they will pull the same colour scarf from their pile and tell you that it looks good on your skin. They will say 'your friend buy one, you should buy like your friend'. They tell you to buy souvenir for your mother or aunt (most goods are geared towards women). When you say you already have the same one (cuz you finally gave in and bought it yesterday), they quickly flip to another product with extra zeal because they now know you are willing to buy. You can't win.

On the way into a temple they are a bit softer in their approach, but they hit a fever pitch as you head back towards the bus. They remember who they approached and will go for you again. "You remember me, you buy only from me". Prices start falling or more items are offered up for the same amount. I was able to get six bracelets for a dollar, where minutes before my tour mate was only offered four. And by the time I was on the bus the count had risen to eight.

Everything is dirt cheap so it is always tempting. The thought of loading up my bag is keeping me from succumbing to too many items.

One of my favourite memories of Cambodia will definitely be the children's chant of "1 dollar, just 1 dollar".

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