The Nomads Tent collects most of its stock in the bazaars of the Middle East. There is an interesting etiquette to buying which is worth recalling.
In Iran, on arrival in a bazaar, you sit down with one of the shopkeepers and sip tea. Very often tea is served with a hard lump of sugar which you pop between your teeth, and through which you drink your tea. It's good manners to make the sugar last for a whole glass of tea. Once the formality of tea is concluded, you can begin to look through the stock. Good manners dictate that you look through every rug in a pile.
One London buyer who was new to buying in Iran used to kick each rug as he declined it until it was pointed out that this was considered bad form. The rugs represent the seller's livelihood and to kick it showed lack of respect. He has never kicked a carpet since!
Iranian dealers always prefer prospective buyers to view the rugs from the end towards which the pile faces. And when measuring the rug will always ignore the flat woven end and the fringes and the corded selvedge edge. Bargaining is essential in carpet buying, or so you might think. Some dealers will announce when you arrive that there is no bargaining. But you usually find that when you reject a rug on the grounds of cost, the dealer will offer it to you at a lower price.
One of the startling things at the end of a rug buying session is that nothing is ever signed. You may have just spent thousands of pounds, but except for a concluding glass of tea there is no need for more than a handshake. He will send you your rug and know that in due course you will settle your debt. I think it is the mark of a civilised and honourable people that the spoken word is contract enough.
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