That the love of bargaining is in the blood of Eastern people has been known for a long time. So, when going to the market or a small shop, be prepared that they will argue with you over every millime (and there are a thousand of them in one dinar). There is an opinion that you must bargain, and not only in order not to overpay, but also to earn the respect of the person behind the counter.
For those who do not like to bargain, special shops have been built in Tunisia, which sell the same souvenirs as at the market, but at a fixed and not too inflated price. Such shops also exist in Sousse, the largest one is called Soula Center. It would seem that here you can calmly and thoroughly choose a product. But, alas, the Eastern passion for trade may well catch up with you here. You will be peacefully standing by a shelf with goods, thinking about what to buy, a vase or earrings, and meanwhile a seller will approach you and, as if nothing had happened, start bargaining. But do not delude yourself: in a store with fixed prices, they will not yield a single millime. Well, people like to bargain!
And if you share this inclination of Tunisians, then go to the medina, where hundreds of shops are located. There, the price of goods can sometimes be reduced tenfold. By the way, in order to attract customers, sellers use one simple trick: “One dinar!” - the cunning ones shout, with a broad gesture pointing at the display case where luxurious dishes, ceramic products, scarves, etc. stand. “Only one dinar,” the tourist thinks and, having forgotten that free (or almost free) cheese only happens in a mousetrap, turns into the shop. And falls into the trap: for one dinar you will be sold at best a refrigerator magnet. All the rest of that beauty costs as much as it should. But the seller has achieved his goal, lured you in, and now it will not be so easy to escape from his tenacious embrace.
However, let us move on to the actual shopping. If you are interested in clothing, keep in mind that items of well-known brands in Tunisia cost no less than in Europe.
Tunisia is famous for its luxurious handmade carpets. They are expensive, sometimes several tens of thousands of dollars. It is best to buy those made in Kairouan: absolutely all carpets from there are made by hand.
The easiest are those who do not set themselves the task of clothing themselves and their relatives or unobtrusively buying an expensive, branded item for the home. Souvenir lovers have plenty of room to roam, because here you can find many cute and relatively inexpensive items. For example, a fan beautifully decorated with fabric and lace can be bought for 10-15 dinars. An equally beautiful satin-lace basket for 15-25 dinars. A small brightly painted tin plate for 3-3.5 dinars. On it, by the way, the seller can stamp, for example, your name in Arabic. A small drum made of lacquered olive wood costs on average 8 dinars, camels made of olive wood or leather - 5-15 dinars. A small package of delicious dates - about 0.3 dinars. Ceramics - from 5 dinars for small things like ashtrays; refrigerator stickers, postcards with views - within 1 dinar.