In Reply to: Street Hawkers posted by Kelsta on Friday, 7. July 2006 at 08:00 Bali Time:
In April I stayed for a week in Poppies 2 in Gang Poppies 2. Around the dog-leg leading down to the beach a few male shop keepers would stand on the kerb, and as I approached would stretch out their arms at boob height pointing to their shops. The alternatives were to walk around them into the traffic, walk towards them hoping they'd lower their arms (they didn't), go into their shops (the desired outcome) or stop, smile & say tidak, terimah kasih and assist them with lowering their arms, in due course, if necessary.
After doing this at least twice a day for a week, my smiling response tended to evaporate. I found this offensive & on my last day there said so. I made a point of buying something pricey from the one shopkeeper on the stretch who didn't ever hassle.
Maybe one of the reasons there are full planes in & out of Bali & so few tourists around Kuta/Legian is because of the behaviour of the shopkeepers & other hawkers. They are doing it tough, we all know, but their tactics merely serve as a deterrent.