N.Z. Soldier In Malaya Expert At Bargaining

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28479, 8 January 1958, Page 8

N.Z. Soldier In Malaya Expert At Bargaining

SINGAPORE. December 25.

The New Zealand soldier seems to have an inherent gift for bargaining. The latest shopkeepers to appreciate this with some sorrow are those who so vociferously eulogise their wares in the village of Nee Soon, just outside the big army transit camp in which the Ist Battalion of the New Zealand Regiment is temporarily stationed.

The “Kiwi” was a noted bargainer in the Middle East in “World War II and in his bluff way got away with greater reductions than those obtained by the more subtle persuasions of some other troops. He would be in his element in Nee Soon. There are, of course, a handful of shops which stick to their prices and defy competition from all the others. These are solid establishments in comparison and in the long run become* known as such.

In a village like Nee Soon Which is crammed with excellent

quality goods of all sorts as opposed to a similar amount of rubbish, the ridiculously low prices are a temptation to a spending spree limited only by the power of one’s own purse. Much is bought without thought to necessity, or sometimes even desirability. That it is cheap, yet of good quality, is often the only criterion which the ,buyer considers. That Kiwi soldiers are able to bluff shopkeepers to lower prices should not be taken to indicate that the seller loses his profit. Far from it; he loses the profit he hoped to make from unsuspecting troops green to the guiles of the Eastern merchants but of course he still makes his cut.

The New Zealander has learnt quickly to ignore the blandishments of the merchant who seizes him outside the door “Special price for Kiwi”; "for Kiwi I eut price in half”; “for Kiwi this, for Kiwi that.” Generally the far from bemused soldier takes it in

his stride and comes from the shop a more than satisfied customer.

He has learnt to walk from the shop at exactly the right time with a fairly safe assumption that the merchant will follow him at the genuine Kiwi price. Frequently, of course, he is wrong, but there is always another time. Cameras, watches, binoculars, superb men’s and children’s clothing, tailored clothes for the buyer himself, jewellery and much more are there for the buying, and in some cases the prices are such that the goods are there almost for the taking.

Of course, many tales are being told of how "I beat him down to two dollars after he asked for 20.” and so on. But the Kiwi bargainer of 1939-45 would be proud of his young brother of 1957.