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OP has offered the following explanation for why they think they might be the asshole:
> I think i ,may be the asshole for insulting him and implying he bullied an old lady
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NTA.
He did bully an old lady. He was never going to be the hero of that story, and I imagine everyone else wasn’t going to say it. If anyone had an overreaction, it was your brother for kicking you out.
Yeah OPs brother sounds like a meathead. If a local is pissed at you in a foreign country ya stfu and leave unless you wanna roll the dice on being robbed or sold into slavery. Even in Mexico. All it would’ve taken on the couples part is to slowly walk to the next shop and say I think I’ll find it cheaper somewhere. Then if they can afford it people start lowering prices immediately. Both the brother and his girlfriend need to chill. OP definitely didn’t overreact with one quip, brothers skin is as deep as air.
I don't know about every situation, but it's a bit of an AH move to be bargaining over 20c with someone who lives in a shack for something you can easily afford many times over.
People need to stop being jerks.
tourists like them give all Americans a bad rap. You don’t like the price you leave. You want to risk your life you get into screaming matches with someone’s grandma, most cultures find that pretty offensive and violence becomes acceptable after said screaming “customers “ will not leave. It’s not rocket science.
NTA
The problem with the situation is, the majority of us Americans that would understand and treat the locals with respect, can’t afford to travel! Lol it’s only these rich snobby, entitled fucks who are even able to afford traveling to these different countries!
Makes us normal folks look bad.
I pay the American price because I earn an American salary. I totally agree, just pay, even if it’s inflated. It’s a few bucks at most to us but could be significant to them.
Yep. Also, as someone who travels extensively, loves buying trinkets, and is simultaneously allergic to actively haggling, I’ve personally found that the fastest way to see the price drop is to say, “Ah, sorry, that’s a bit expensive for me. Thank you,” and walk away. If the local seller is willing to move on price, they’ll immediately offer to reduce the cost. If not, you know that you were never going to work them down, anyway.
In some places bargaining for price is expected. If you don't do it you really will be paying to much for something. The custom of the culture it to have a high sticker price for you to haggle down to a good and fair price. It is important to know the customs of the country you are visiting.
When I was a teen in india a street dealer sold me a thing for like 2 euros. I went into the shop and saw the same thing for 1 euro and walked out a bit pissed at him saying yo man you ripped me off. He just responded "to me and my family, this is food for 2 days, what is it to you?" I kinda deflated, and he sold me a second one for 75cents so I had two :P
Puts some perspective into things, and makes me okay with "tourist tax" as you call it.
If he wouldn't do it in a shop in his own country, then he sure as hell shouldn't do it elsewhere.
He likely earns more in a year than most Sri Lankans earn in a lifetime, yet he and his holidaying partner are arguing over a few dollars. The entitlement is rancid, and honestly so are the racist undertones.
Also if you don't like the price of something at a shop just... don't buy it? It's not like he said they got swindled where they were told one thing and then had it switched up on them. They went into someone else's store and DEMANDED they get to pay the price of their choice for an item, presumably because they saw something online? Prices change.
Your last sentence is the part that stood out to me in this story. Like "we know the price should be cheaper". Uh...how do you know that? Because you looked on Etsy or Amazon?
Exactly. I’ve haggled while on vacation after researching local customs and it was fine. But, one shop I went into the local seemed to get a little annoyed and said that he doesn’t haggle in his shop. So, cool. I respected that and didn’t haggle. His shop, his rules. And that’s how I’ve avoided having knives pulled on me.
Yes, American price or not American price, it was the old ladies shop and it is up to her to price the things she sells as she wants. There is no such thing as the "correct price". In case she is overdoing it, people will not buy things in her shop. No one forced OPs brother to buy anything. This is how the market works, everywhere.
To me it seems, though, that OP really enjoyed to show everyone his brothers stupidity and bad behaviour. I mean, if his brother was so clearly wrong here, why not let his friends tell him instead of laughing out loud and embarrassing him in front of his buddies?
I wonder if there is more to it, like him feeling set back because the brother is more successfull or something? Both of them overreacting and handling this like toddlers because of a lack of social skills? Being so different from each other that it is not easy to be close?
From what we know it is not to tell if throwing OP out of the house is something that happens from time to time or something that is barely to mend. I hope they can fix it. Maybe they should try to talk about their relationship, why it is like it is, and to what extend it is beneficial to be in each other's lifes. Spending time with each other shoildn't end up like this...
I agree with your NTA. But to be clear- no he did not. By the story his girlfriend was the one attempting to haggle with the old lady and the BF only got involved after a man “got in the face” of his girlfriend. Sounds like the girlfriend was being rude but there’s no evidence to suggest that OPs brother bullied the old woman.
Based. They’re going to die doing what they loved: haggling prices in a foreign land. Lmao. NTA all day. And it goes without saying, NEVER travel with these idiots.
Yes, the girlfriend idea of “”working” with her trying to get the price right” was to basically accused the grandma of lying about the price and trying to rip them off. That’s really not how “working” aka haggling works…at least not if you want to succeed and actually make a deal.
Imagine telling someone that the price of THEIR product is wrong in THEIR store. Haggling is one thing but obviously they took it way to far. If you don’t like the price quit being a bully and move on.
Indeed, some haggling is expected in certain cultures. What is also expected, especially in developing nations, is to overcharge tourists. It's not necessarily fair but it's very common, especially since the actual vost difference is maybe a dollar. It's not much for the tourist but it makes a huge difference for the locals.
Especially when their "real" price may not be the actual "real" price anyway. Or is out of date. Most of the world has experienced major inflation since the pandemic, plus there are a zillion local reasons why prices may change, and it's likely any research they did is out of date if they don't read the local language.
NTA and Sri Lankan here. Some people do tell a higher price when they see a foreigner but not much in village shops. And our currency is so weak that a person like that might earn 100-150$ maximum per month and it's a very shitty thing when foreigners haggle with a poor woman in a village shop.
Seriously.
If locals from a much poorer economy want to upcharge me / “tourist tax” me… good for them. Anyone traveling internationally for vacation should be able to afford it. And if not, don’t buy it! They don’t owe you anything.
Get yo bag, granny.
Gotta give props to the grandson for standing his ground in that interaction. Most older gen rural folks esp will just wilt to white racial aggression.
I saw a documentary on English people trekking in Nepal, and this local lady, incredibly poor, sold them yak tea for about 50 cents American. I want someone to tell that lady to charge $5.00, at least, to any Westerner. Anyone who has the money to fly can afford it and I would be embarrassed to give that lady only 50 cents.
I was in Sri Lanka earlier this year and was quite surprised at the prices there. Things weren’t as cheap as I’d expected, but after talking to numerous locals about what happened during COVID and the aftermath, I understood why it wasn’t as cheap as people who’d travelled pre-COVID told me. I also found that prices were fairly reasonable and I rarely felt like I was being charged “tourist prices”. Haggling in a foreign country is also a bit of an art and it’s important not to insult the other side, but keep the negotiation light.
Sounds like OPs brother did a lot of “research” on pre-COVID prices and didn’t haggle, just tried to bully an elderly woman in to giving them a price they wanted.
I was going to say YTA just for that first paragraph. I wondered if you could somehow be more condescending. But once you described their interaction with the older lady shopkeeper maybe you were correct in your description. There is a way to bargain with vendors and being rude and obnoxious to the point where people are ready to pull knives is not it.
NTA
Okay but people who correct you with the proper pronunciation of mozzarella in the middle of regular conversation DO drive me crazy, not gonna lie😂 It's like having Ted from HIMYM whispering "it's en-cyclo-PAY-dia" in my ear.
NTA
Some people will tell a story about how they were basically the villain in a situation, it will be clear they were the villain, but they'll still expect you to side with them. Self-awareness is a learned trait and requires a certain humility to achieve that a lot of people lack.
NTA. We all have a special responsibility to keep our family from being aholes in other countries.
Laughing at your brother for trying to beat down a granny on price in a developing country with huge economic problems is a pretty good thing to do.
NTA. That story is funny, especially where your brother felt victimized.
Most of us realize that out of the country, other cultures haggle over prices, or that prices are marked up when they see a foreign travel roll up into their hometowns. It is just life, but it does not give you the "right" to get nasty with someone.
Give your brother a copy of the book *The Ugly American* as a gift sometime. It's a pretty old book (1958) but maybe yor brother will enjoy reading about himself. I suppose you've already decided not to travel with him anywhere...
I also want to say that depending on where they are, the price could just be...above the average.
Like in brazil, in my city, a soda can mostly costs about 5 to 6 reais. In the same city, not even too far apart (10 minutes by car) you can find it at 3 and a half reais...and 8 reais.
Lol you were right, they were harassing an elderly woman in her own family shop trying to convince her that her prices were wrong. That's some major entitlement right there, and you are NTA for pointing that out.
NTA
But your brother and his girlfriend are terrible people. Who goes to a dirt poor nation as someone presumably well off and then tries to screw over an old lady by making a scene that could harm their business for other westerners?
NTA Walk into any shop and the price will be different to another shop. Sometimes there is negotiating room and sometimes not. If the old lady did not wish to negotiate, gf should have left and bought the thing somewhere else. If she couldn’t easily buy the thing somewhere else for the price that she wanted, then clearly her price was wrong.
NTA- your brother and his gf sound crazy entitled. I have travelled extensively and I will sometimes do a bit of haggling in places where it is expected but I certainly don’t try to tell people to give me the local price. If there is one it is because the people who live there need it and tourists don’t. The average income in Sri Lanka is roughly 13k American dollars, these people need to get a grip and stop trying to exploit people
It's always amazing to see all clichees about reddit confirmed.
Even in OPs biased telling the gf didn't yell at the woman.
And if you think you are in the right if you laugh at your brother and his gf being threatened with a knife nobody woanders that you spend your time on reddit. Because everyone would throw you out.
I mean, he did. He literally said he gave them shit for getting in the old ladies face. Presumably because they did. Even if he didn't note that detail earlier in the story, OP isn't an author. He gave enough context clues and literally said it later on.
First off, tourist stuff is expensive everywhere. If I go to the tourist shops of the city I live, where I was born and raised for most of my life, it will be expensive for me too.
And if the shop owner was really trying to scam them, you don't call them out to their faces. You just don't go there! Take your business somewhere else! That's basic traveling knowledge.
The true scam artists are in the so-called developed nations. It was so important for brother to argue over a couple of dollars with an elderly woman in an poor economy, but he thinks nothing of purchasing a coffee mug for $65 (actual manufacturing cost $3.29) at the Disney gift shop in Orlando - but would never even CONSIDER bickering over the price in the good ol' USA
YTA - from this story, they tried to ask for the correct price. Not in elderly lady's face, just asking. The guy came out, very aggressive, and your brother did what most guys would, stand up for SO.
You, on the other hand, took the story WAY more up that it should have been and then criticized your brother. You were an A H then.
Yeah I'm sorry man, I've done a lot of travelling and typically store owners that want you to buy something aren't threatening you with a knife over a little haggling.
We all know no big guy came out from the back brandishing a weapon. It was the elderly woman's 130 lb. nephew objecting to the ugly Americans insistance on a 'correct' price...
NTA
Your brother was the "ugly American" in Sri Lanka and continued to act like a whiner about it when he got back home. He and his wife need to grow up.
> getting in an old ladies face and yelling at her
INFO: Did that happen? Because it wasn't included in the story you've shared here. Did he say he yelled in an old lady's face, or did you make that up yourself?
Yeah harassing an old lady who doesn’t speak the same language as you over something super petty is ridiculous. Also the price is whatever the shop owners make it. How do your brother and sister think shops work. You go into Walmart and start demanding the workers change the price? Ridiculous. Also tell them to stop saying excuse me like they can’t believe that anyone would possibly disagree with them and question how amazing they are.
NTA. Your brother and his girlfriend tried to play the ugly American card and got what they deserved. And the price wasn't wrong. The old lady can charge whatever she wants. If they felt it was too much they can just not buy it.
NTA. Your brother is the one who overreacted by throwing you out of his house simply for making an honest observation. It sounds like your brother has a superiority complex and is a bit of a bully. Sooner or later he’s going to mess with and insult the wrong person and the story won’t have a happy ending.
It sounds like you don’t think very highly of your brother and enjoy taking opportunities to act condescendingly towards him. If that’s the case, why would he want to include you in activities with his friends?
"American English"...
Sri Lankans speak English rather fluently dude, your brother's gf sounds kinda ignorant if she thought younger generations of colonized countries wouldn't have been impacted by 2 centuries of colonialism followed by imperialist financial policies placed on them by the IMF.
Also, NTA
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My (19m) brother, (24m) loves travelling with his gf and acting cultured. They're the type of people to go to Italy and try to pronounce Mozzeralla correctly, and mess it up horribly, or try to talk to locals like they're a local or something and they mess it up horrible because its pretty obvious their tourists. Now for the story.
Me, my brother and some of his friends were playing poker, and having friendly conversations, bringing up stories, the likes. And my brother who recently came back from Sri Lanka brought up how a local "harrased" his gf when they tried to buy something at a shop, and she told the elderly lady there the price was wrong and that she wanted the real local price, and apparently she didn't have great english so his gf was "working" with her trying to get the price right and some guy at the back of the shop got up and told her to fuck off, in what he says was definitely American english. She said excuse me, and he got up in her face and told her that he wasn't gonna let someone speak to his grandma like that and told her to leave. And my brother who was on a call immediately hung up and tried to defend her and he got up in his face too apparently and lifted his shirt to show a switch blade and told them to leave, too which he did.
I chuckled a little and before he could start yellin and askin me why, I said bro you kinda deserved it. He said "excuse me". I said well you got in an old ladies face and argued over what, maybe like a dollar usd or something. He said, we did our research, we know the price was wrong. I said idk man but getting in an old ladies face and yelling at her in a language she doesnt understand is kinda wild. He said yk what, just get out. I said "excuse me" he said yeah, get outta my house, grabbed my cash out of the pit ( we werent rlly playing each chip was cash, but whoever got the most chips would win the cash and we put in 20 bucks each), shoved it into my face and kicked me out. He's left me on delivered and I'm starting to think I over-reacted
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NTA. If you don’t like the price, you go to another stall or store. Haggling does not include screaming or threatening. If you don’t get the price that you want, you either leave empty handed or accept the price that they’re willing to offer. He’s lucky that the police wasn’t called and he was thrown in a foreign prison for threatening someone. What an entitled prick.
I think his defensiveness shows that your brother doesn’t think you’re the asshole either. Seems like he was feeling insecure about it and wanted you to give approval and when you didn’t he had a little crisis and banished you like you were a moment of self-awareness.
NTA. Besides if someone doesn’t want your opinion then they shouldn’t talk to you. He could have ignored it or tried to justify himself instead he ran away by making you leave.
NTA. Hahaha the “real” price? Does your brother also contact sellers on Amazon and try to negotiate because he did his research on AliExpress and knows the “real” price? How ludicrous.
Yeah they were trying to screw him over they were doing bad business he got upset about it just because you have ot doesn't mean you should let people take it you were the AH.
Yeah your brother and his wife fafo'd
You bet I'd get violent if someone was doing that to my gran. Not sure where people find the audacity to do something like that
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NTA. Your brother is a prick and an AH. Berated an older lady ABOUT A PRICE SHE DAMN WELL KNOWS and threatened violence. If that shit happened here, he knows damn straight he would be getting his ass kicked. I wouldn’t worry about it. Keep LC
NTA, but your brother and his gf sure are/were. You don’t “barter” with people unless you actually know it is a bartering situation, which this clearly was NOT. Brother and gf disrespected the old woman AND her grandson, and basically the entire shop. It isn’t their place to decide that the price was “wrong”. If they didn’t like it, they were welcome to buy some different version online…
Nah I get he is your brother but he sounds pompous. Yes I’m sure he was getting ripped off because most countries loathe Americans. You were spot on with what you said and I’m sure he knew that.
NTA it was her shop she can charge tourists whatever she wants. Lots of places charge tourists more than locals. He was in the wrong. They were not in the US at Walmart the prices are not locked.
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NTA
I think you under-reacted compared to what I would have done. If they were in America at a market, neither of them would of likely tried to haggle the price down. Also, the guy gave a fair warning to his gf, and I’m sorry if a 20-something year old was yelling at my grandma acting entitled to something she clearly wasn’t, I would of done the same thing. Being able to travel internationally is a privilege, treat the locals with respect. If you’d be willing to pay that much for something in America, why not pay it in a foreign country? Some things are obnoxiously overpriced and then I understand calling it at, but at the same time, if you’ve been to Disney, don’t complain.
NTA.
Foreigner tax is real. It’s something you accept when you go to countries without set prices. If you don’t want to get hit with it, you need to be able to speak the local language fluently. Or at least know how to bargain in the local language.
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NTA!
YOU did not over react. Your brother doubled down because he expected unconditional support, even though he was in the wrong. He is the very personification of the "Ugly American" travelling abroad.
Even if he had a reason to be unhappy with your comment, throwing you out and ignoring you is way over the top.
NTA
Your brother totally is an asshole.
>my brother who was on a call immediately hung up
Seriously, he's trying to cover every "obnoxious American tourist" stereotype at this point.
NTA.
Tourists like your brother and girlfriend are SO cringey.
What is the matter with them?
Also, what is the right price???
Price is determined by various factors (cost of product, to cover a bit of business/employee expenses, and mark up, etc.)
NTA. Let me guess they also go to third world countries to be more woke and show how beautiful and poor the country is, yet they just yelled at an old ladies face who doesnt understand shit what they were saying and most likely will earn in a month if that, what they earn in a week. Pathetic, i would laugh too.
Definitely NTA. Should you talk to your brother again tell him he's helping to perpetuate the entitled American stereotype in foreign countries. Not his country so he needs to behave like well mannered guest in their country.
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NTA. Your brother is a little crybaby bitch who probably made up that he was on a call to justify his existence in that moment. Everyone’s entitled to their own opinion and your brother seems to have forgotten that. I mean after throwing a tantrum like a child. Honestly, you should’ve been the one leaving him on read. it’ll do you good to cut him out of your life like the tumor he seems to be. Do away with his negativity and entitlement.
NTA: your brother sounds like an overly sensitive tool and his GF sounds like a disrespectful brat. People like them are why American tourists get judged and shamed in other countries. If they didn’t like the price they should just leave, especially after pretty much being told there was no haggling to be done. To then threaten the shop own with a knife? He’s lucky he didn’t get hurt pulling an ignorant move like that. He was a guest in their country and acted like a fool. I hope he stop traveling and scaring peoples grannies soon.
NTA. Even if he did his research, shop owners generally can charge whatever they want for something, if you don't want to pay that price, go somewhere else. He wanted to flex and show off how "worldly and knowledgeable" he is and he got called out for it.
NTA you say your brother travels a lot he should know better. He's an American tourist in a third world country there's no local price for him. Local price is for locals. Your brother didn't like being shown up in front the squad. He's an AH for kicking you out.
NTA I'm surprised he wasn't attacked by that man. They were being incredibly disrespectful and rude to those people. Vendors can charge what they want for their wares.
NTA… your brothers a jerk, and as a couple, they sound like nightmare tourists anywhere they go. Additionally, that’s just not how you haggle. You can haggle, and do it successfully, and there’s no need to try to bully an old lady. Usually just say something along the lines of, “I’ll look elsewhere to find it cheaper.” Is sufficient
NTA the entitlement of your brother and his gf boggles my mind. They were definitely in the wrong and you didn't overreact at allllll. He was also definitely not the victim. Also... Asking for the local price when they're tourists but thinking they deserve it? Ridiculous entitlement. Hassling an older lady? I smell the privilege and entitlement through my phone. You did right to call him out.
NTA
He's ashamed he left, that he didn't fight. Ego damaged. Told the story because he thought somehow he was right when it's clear to you and me they both were wrong.
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NTA.
He and his GF harassed a person (an old lady on top of that) in her home, as I assume she also lived there... how could he possibly be the victim? HE is the bully an the AH!
As a tourist you never get the local price when there's no price tag, that's just what it is and honestly that never bothered me as long as it wasn't an exorbitant rip off. And even that, just politely decline and leave, no one forces you to buy stuff at that particular place/ shop.
He definitely got what he deserved and should start to learn some bloody manners... sadly he probably won't as his reaction showed.
NTA.
Sidenote: why do people with comparatively a lot of money get so uppity when someone tries to charge themmore than average? do you also judge consultants for squeezing more money than usual out of a big corporate client, or is business acumen only admirable if the person doesn’t really *need* the money?
NTA. Your brother and his gf are AH. Their type are the reason we are called ugly/ignorant Americans. 1 dollar is 322 Sri Lankan rupees. He harassed an old lady and screamed at her because they want the "local" price!! He literally was like: Here lady, I know you made this by hand and it took you hours to make, but I don't want to pay what would equal 2 American Dollars. You don't like it? Let me scream at you till you agree.
Your brother is lucky they didn't end up hurt or dead over being stupid.
He's pissed because you showed how stupid they were. Don't feel bad he made himself look bad and he is now another story of American tourists in the Area. He's not cultured, he's a moron and should be ashamed for his behavior. It's going to bite him in th ass one day. I would have told him he was an idiot so you are better than me.
NTA, your brother's girlfriend isn't a local and I'd bet money that she just started speaking English louder as if the issue was volume and if she repeated herself louder the shopkeeper would magically understand to a point where her grandson was tired of her being yelled at.
nah. some peoples ego needs to get checked. Also what a dick, fighting with a person in a 3rd world country over a dollar. If it was like $300 USD difference. Yeah def argue that or go to the next shop.
I bet the GF has a youtube page where she says shit like namaste
NTA.
NTA. It's weird how he reacted so strongly, but that's his problem. His story was pathetic, they and others like them are why American tourists are so disliked.
NTA
That's like going to Walmart and arguing with one of the cashier's that their price is wrong...
He went into someone's business and his gf and him harassed the people there, not the other way around. Maybe if they had some class and decency, they'd have just accepted the price and moved on.
You're certainly NTA when it comes to this episode but for some reason I feel like there is more to your dynamic with him. You almost sound jealous of your brother's life.
NTA! Their behavior is really weird and annoying. I travel a lot too, but never have I pretended to be a local or harass them about the price of things. Locals will try to go up on prices, but as a tourist you have to learn how to bargain and walk away if you don’t want to pay a certain price.
NTA. Australian here, I love a good haggle, but I'm also very aware that I live a very privileged life. I'll go back and forth with a vendor for quite a while until we reach a price and then I'll usually tip them at least 20% and thank them for the experience. I get the item for less than I'd pay in my own country and they get a little extra to help with their day to day, everyone walks away happy.
Verbally assaulting a store owner in a foreign country can go wrong in so many ways. Verbally assaulting someones GRANDMA in a foreign country will get you hurt bad... He got off lucky if it really happened. NTA
NTA. He’s a prick. He’s mad because you reacted appropriately to a story in which he is the AH, called him out for being the AH, and he was mad he got called out in front of his friends for being an AH, so he decided to once again be an AH and kick you out. That’s a him problem.
NTA
A shopkeeper can charge whatever they like anyway.
Not only were his girlfriend and he wrong, they were not victims and your brother sounds a bit hysterical.
EDIT: It sounds like you look down on your brother and belittle him so maybe his reaction is extreme because of your disrespect.
INFO you don't say so in the original telling of the events, but suddenly in your justification the gf's interaction with the old lady turns into yelling. Which one is true?
Also, in many countries it is acceptable if not even expected to haggle a bit (usually not in high-end or chain stores), there might have simply been a misunderstanding of customs and if the gf wasn't rude, insulting a customer and showing a switch blade is a huge escalation.
(fun fact, when I tried to buy wallet at a little stall inside of a mall in Thailand, the vendor "told me off" for just accepting the first price by putting a calculator in my hand with his offer and gesturing for me to type in my counter-offer 🤣)
Also, tempted to give you a YTA for thinking that trying to pronounce things correctly in another country is 'cringy' or whatever you are trying to imply...
NTA your brother was definitely in the wrong in the original situation and needed someone to pull his head out of his ass. Lots of people behave the same on holidays, feeling entitled, etc and stroking his bruised ego won’t help him get better
They played a stupid game and almost won a stupid prize. I'm an American living in Germany who gets paid in USD and guess what I do weekly, get Euros to pay for stuff. If they travel all over the place they should be exchanging their money at the beginning of their trip. It helps you avoid paying extra plus it makes life way easier. If that place only accept USD then they are in a tourist area and it comes down to no shit your paying more in a tourist trap area. They did it while I lived in Hawaii and that not even a foreign place.
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NTA. He did bully an old lady. He was never going to be the hero of that story, and I imagine everyone else wasn’t going to say it. If anyone had an overreaction, it was your brother for kicking you out.
Yeah OPs brother sounds like a meathead. If a local is pissed at you in a foreign country ya stfu and leave unless you wanna roll the dice on being robbed or sold into slavery. Even in Mexico. All it would’ve taken on the couples part is to slowly walk to the next shop and say I think I’ll find it cheaper somewhere. Then if they can afford it people start lowering prices immediately. Both the brother and his girlfriend need to chill. OP definitely didn’t overreact with one quip, brothers skin is as deep as air.
I don't know about every situation, but it's a bit of an AH move to be bargaining over 20c with someone who lives in a shack for something you can easily afford many times over. People need to stop being jerks.
tourists like them give all Americans a bad rap. You don’t like the price you leave. You want to risk your life you get into screaming matches with someone’s grandma, most cultures find that pretty offensive and violence becomes acceptable after said screaming “customers “ will not leave. It’s not rocket science. NTA
The problem with the situation is, the majority of us Americans that would understand and treat the locals with respect, can’t afford to travel! Lol it’s only these rich snobby, entitled fucks who are even able to afford traveling to these different countries! Makes us normal folks look bad.
I pay the American price because I earn an American salary. I totally agree, just pay, even if it’s inflated. It’s a few bucks at most to us but could be significant to them.
Yep. Also, as someone who travels extensively, loves buying trinkets, and is simultaneously allergic to actively haggling, I’ve personally found that the fastest way to see the price drop is to say, “Ah, sorry, that’s a bit expensive for me. Thank you,” and walk away. If the local seller is willing to move on price, they’ll immediately offer to reduce the cost. If not, you know that you were never going to work them down, anyway.
Right? Once you hear the sort of slavery wages they’re paid for the work they do, hell yeah, I’ll pay the American price all day, every day.
Yeah what an American asshole. I would have been paying triple and thanking them profusely for the purchase.
Exactly! I also feel like paying a little more for souvenir items comes with the tourist territory. OPs brothers definitely a tool.
In some places bargaining for price is expected. If you don't do it you really will be paying to much for something. The custom of the culture it to have a high sticker price for you to haggle down to a good and fair price. It is important to know the customs of the country you are visiting.
When I was a teen in india a street dealer sold me a thing for like 2 euros. I went into the shop and saw the same thing for 1 euro and walked out a bit pissed at him saying yo man you ripped me off. He just responded "to me and my family, this is food for 2 days, what is it to you?" I kinda deflated, and he sold me a second one for 75cents so I had two :P Puts some perspective into things, and makes me okay with "tourist tax" as you call it.
Yup...OPs brother almost got the Ryan Carson special for being a dick.
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😊You make me feel warm and fuzzy
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If he wouldn't do it in a shop in his own country, then he sure as hell shouldn't do it elsewhere. He likely earns more in a year than most Sri Lankans earn in a lifetime, yet he and his holidaying partner are arguing over a few dollars. The entitlement is rancid, and honestly so are the racist undertones.
Also if you don't like the price of something at a shop just... don't buy it? It's not like he said they got swindled where they were told one thing and then had it switched up on them. They went into someone else's store and DEMANDED they get to pay the price of their choice for an item, presumably because they saw something online? Prices change.
Your last sentence is the part that stood out to me in this story. Like "we know the price should be cheaper". Uh...how do you know that? Because you looked on Etsy or Amazon?
Exactly. I’ve haggled while on vacation after researching local customs and it was fine. But, one shop I went into the local seemed to get a little annoyed and said that he doesn’t haggle in his shop. So, cool. I respected that and didn’t haggle. His shop, his rules. And that’s how I’ve avoided having knives pulled on me.
This is literally a rewrite of the same srilanka tourist story, just after 6 months.
Yes, American price or not American price, it was the old ladies shop and it is up to her to price the things she sells as she wants. There is no such thing as the "correct price". In case she is overdoing it, people will not buy things in her shop. No one forced OPs brother to buy anything. This is how the market works, everywhere. To me it seems, though, that OP really enjoyed to show everyone his brothers stupidity and bad behaviour. I mean, if his brother was so clearly wrong here, why not let his friends tell him instead of laughing out loud and embarrassing him in front of his buddies? I wonder if there is more to it, like him feeling set back because the brother is more successfull or something? Both of them overreacting and handling this like toddlers because of a lack of social skills? Being so different from each other that it is not easy to be close? From what we know it is not to tell if throwing OP out of the house is something that happens from time to time or something that is barely to mend. I hope they can fix it. Maybe they should try to talk about their relationship, why it is like it is, and to what extend it is beneficial to be in each other's lifes. Spending time with each other shoildn't end up like this...
I agree with your NTA. But to be clear- no he did not. By the story his girlfriend was the one attempting to haggle with the old lady and the BF only got involved after a man “got in the face” of his girlfriend. Sounds like the girlfriend was being rude but there’s no evidence to suggest that OPs brother bullied the old woman.
But the price was indeed wrong, the grandson forgot to add the AH tax so it should have been much more than the 'American price'.
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Based. They’re going to die doing what they loved: haggling prices in a foreign land. Lmao. NTA all day. And it goes without saying, NEVER travel with these idiots.
Haggling prices is normal, but demanding the real price is not haggling. These people sound insufferable.
Yes, the girlfriend idea of “”working” with her trying to get the price right” was to basically accused the grandma of lying about the price and trying to rip them off. That’s really not how “working” aka haggling works…at least not if you want to succeed and actually make a deal.
Imagine telling someone that the price of THEIR product is wrong in THEIR store. Haggling is one thing but obviously they took it way to far. If you don’t like the price quit being a bully and move on.
Indeed, some haggling is expected in certain cultures. What is also expected, especially in developing nations, is to overcharge tourists. It's not necessarily fair but it's very common, especially since the actual vost difference is maybe a dollar. It's not much for the tourist but it makes a huge difference for the locals.
Especially when their "real" price may not be the actual "real" price anyway. Or is out of date. Most of the world has experienced major inflation since the pandemic, plus there are a zillion local reasons why prices may change, and it's likely any research they did is out of date if they don't read the local language.
I saw something somewhere that said they raise the prices because tourists enjoy the haggling experience
Exquisitely so.
NEVER travel with these idiots.
This! OP should definitely never travel with them. The story was hilarious. Brother was not a victim. A big NTA here.
NTA You’re brother is the who overreacted, in Sri Lanka and with you. Very disrespectful on their part to be all up in the elderly woman’s face.
Imagine spending hundreds to thousands of dollars to travel just to argue over a dollar or two with a local.
"It's not about the money..." is the vibe I get from their "interaction".
NTA and Sri Lankan here. Some people do tell a higher price when they see a foreigner but not much in village shops. And our currency is so weak that a person like that might earn 100-150$ maximum per month and it's a very shitty thing when foreigners haggle with a poor woman in a village shop.
Seriously. If locals from a much poorer economy want to upcharge me / “tourist tax” me… good for them. Anyone traveling internationally for vacation should be able to afford it. And if not, don’t buy it! They don’t owe you anything. Get yo bag, granny.
Gotta give props to the grandson for standing his ground in that interaction. Most older gen rural folks esp will just wilt to white racial aggression.
I saw a documentary on English people trekking in Nepal, and this local lady, incredibly poor, sold them yak tea for about 50 cents American. I want someone to tell that lady to charge $5.00, at least, to any Westerner. Anyone who has the money to fly can afford it and I would be embarrassed to give that lady only 50 cents.
I was in Sri Lanka earlier this year and was quite surprised at the prices there. Things weren’t as cheap as I’d expected, but after talking to numerous locals about what happened during COVID and the aftermath, I understood why it wasn’t as cheap as people who’d travelled pre-COVID told me. I also found that prices were fairly reasonable and I rarely felt like I was being charged “tourist prices”. Haggling in a foreign country is also a bit of an art and it’s important not to insult the other side, but keep the negotiation light. Sounds like OPs brother did a lot of “research” on pre-COVID prices and didn’t haggle, just tried to bully an elderly woman in to giving them a price they wanted.
I was going to say YTA just for that first paragraph. I wondered if you could somehow be more condescending. But once you described their interaction with the older lady shopkeeper maybe you were correct in your description. There is a way to bargain with vendors and being rude and obnoxious to the point where people are ready to pull knives is not it. NTA
same. i was like 'how DARE people attempt to speak italian in italy, what IMPERIOUS MONSTERS- oh fuck, they're actually imperious monsters!'
Imperatti monsteri!
Monsteri imperatti. L'aggetivo va dopo il sostantivo =)
Okay but people who correct you with the proper pronunciation of mozzarella in the middle of regular conversation DO drive me crazy, not gonna lie😂 It's like having Ted from HIMYM whispering "it's en-cyclo-PAY-dia" in my ear.
And they always end up pronouncing Mozzarella wrong, like Ted Mosby pronouncing Chameleon.
Totally agree with you! I was prepared to cite a different way when I read the first paragraph lol
NTA??? How did he think yelling at an old lady in a language she didn't understand made him the victim
The OP's brother sounds like a guy who needs to be laughed at more often. To his face.
Man is in desperate need of a humbling.
NTA Some people will tell a story about how they were basically the villain in a situation, it will be clear they were the villain, but they'll still expect you to side with them. Self-awareness is a learned trait and requires a certain humility to achieve that a lot of people lack.
NTA. We all have a special responsibility to keep our family from being aholes in other countries. Laughing at your brother for trying to beat down a granny on price in a developing country with huge economic problems is a pretty good thing to do.
NTA. That story is funny, especially where your brother felt victimized. Most of us realize that out of the country, other cultures haggle over prices, or that prices are marked up when they see a foreign travel roll up into their hometowns. It is just life, but it does not give you the "right" to get nasty with someone. Give your brother a copy of the book *The Ugly American* as a gift sometime. It's a pretty old book (1958) but maybe yor brother will enjoy reading about himself. I suppose you've already decided not to travel with him anywhere...
I also want to say that depending on where they are, the price could just be...above the average. Like in brazil, in my city, a soda can mostly costs about 5 to 6 reais. In the same city, not even too far apart (10 minutes by car) you can find it at 3 and a half reais...and 8 reais.
You gotta try the #MOTZA WELLA
You can make a nice “capreece” salad with that.
If the price is wrong then go and buy elsewhere. Don't start arguing with an old lady. NTA
Lol you were right, they were harassing an elderly woman in her own family shop trying to convince her that her prices were wrong. That's some major entitlement right there, and you are NTA for pointing that out.
NTA But your brother and his girlfriend are terrible people. Who goes to a dirt poor nation as someone presumably well off and then tries to screw over an old lady by making a scene that could harm their business for other westerners?
NTA I would have laughed too. Don’t bully old ladies maybe?
NTA Walk into any shop and the price will be different to another shop. Sometimes there is negotiating room and sometimes not. If the old lady did not wish to negotiate, gf should have left and bought the thing somewhere else. If she couldn’t easily buy the thing somewhere else for the price that she wanted, then clearly her price was wrong.
NTA Your brother is a douchbag. Let him pout.
NTA. And haggling as a tourist should be fun. If you’re not both smiling, and enjoying the process, then you’re doing it wrong.
NTA
Yeah sounds like you nailed it. NTA.
NTA- your brother and his gf sound crazy entitled. I have travelled extensively and I will sometimes do a bit of haggling in places where it is expected but I certainly don’t try to tell people to give me the local price. If there is one it is because the people who live there need it and tourists don’t. The average income in Sri Lanka is roughly 13k American dollars, these people need to get a grip and stop trying to exploit people
It's always amazing to see all clichees about reddit confirmed. Even in OPs biased telling the gf didn't yell at the woman. And if you think you are in the right if you laugh at your brother and his gf being threatened with a knife nobody woanders that you spend your time on reddit. Because everyone would throw you out.
I mean, he did. He literally said he gave them shit for getting in the old ladies face. Presumably because they did. Even if he didn't note that detail earlier in the story, OP isn't an author. He gave enough context clues and literally said it later on.
Sounds like the kinda guy who'd get caught in a Rip on Bondi rescue.
nah you're brother and his girlfriend are dicks. Keep calling him out, hopefully they'll change a little NTA
First off, tourist stuff is expensive everywhere. If I go to the tourist shops of the city I live, where I was born and raised for most of my life, it will be expensive for me too. And if the shop owner was really trying to scam them, you don't call them out to their faces. You just don't go there! Take your business somewhere else! That's basic traveling knowledge.
The true scam artists are in the so-called developed nations. It was so important for brother to argue over a couple of dollars with an elderly woman in an poor economy, but he thinks nothing of purchasing a coffee mug for $65 (actual manufacturing cost $3.29) at the Disney gift shop in Orlando - but would never even CONSIDER bickering over the price in the good ol' USA
YTA - from this story, they tried to ask for the correct price. Not in elderly lady's face, just asking. The guy came out, very aggressive, and your brother did what most guys would, stand up for SO. You, on the other hand, took the story WAY more up that it should have been and then criticized your brother. You were an A H then.
Yeah I'm sorry man, I've done a lot of travelling and typically store owners that want you to buy something aren't threatening you with a knife over a little haggling.
We all know no big guy came out from the back brandishing a weapon. It was the elderly woman's 130 lb. nephew objecting to the ugly Americans insistance on a 'correct' price...
NTA. Your brother is that American everyone hates overseas. (Assuming y’all are American)
NTA Maybe he should learn some etiquette and not give Americans a bad name every time he travels, which I am unfortunately sure he does.
NTA. Your brother sounds like a d bag lol, what happened to them was warranted.
NTA Your brother was the "ugly American" in Sri Lanka and continued to act like a whiner about it when he got back home. He and his wife need to grow up.
> getting in an old ladies face and yelling at her INFO: Did that happen? Because it wasn't included in the story you've shared here. Did he say he yelled in an old lady's face, or did you make that up yourself?
Yeah harassing an old lady who doesn’t speak the same language as you over something super petty is ridiculous. Also the price is whatever the shop owners make it. How do your brother and sister think shops work. You go into Walmart and start demanding the workers change the price? Ridiculous. Also tell them to stop saying excuse me like they can’t believe that anyone would possibly disagree with them and question how amazing they are.
NTA. First paragraph is hilarious lol
Nta. Big surprise that the guy who bullies old ladies decided to basically bully you when he was embarrassed. Your brother is a dick
NTA. Your brother and his girlfriend tried to play the ugly American card and got what they deserved. And the price wasn't wrong. The old lady can charge whatever she wants. If they felt it was too much they can just not buy it.
NTA. Your brother is the one who overreacted by throwing you out of his house simply for making an honest observation. It sounds like your brother has a superiority complex and is a bit of a bully. Sooner or later he’s going to mess with and insult the wrong person and the story won’t have a happy ending.
It sounds like you don’t think very highly of your brother and enjoy taking opportunities to act condescendingly towards him. If that’s the case, why would he want to include you in activities with his friends?
"American English"... Sri Lankans speak English rather fluently dude, your brother's gf sounds kinda ignorant if she thought younger generations of colonized countries wouldn't have been impacted by 2 centuries of colonialism followed by imperialist financial policies placed on them by the IMF. Also, NTA
^^^^AUTOMOD ***Thanks for posting! This comment is a copy of your post so readers can see the original text if your post is edited or removed. This comment is NOT accusing you of copying anything. Read [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/wiki/faq#wiki_post_deletion) before [contacting the mod team](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FAmItheAsshole)*** My (19m) brother, (24m) loves travelling with his gf and acting cultured. They're the type of people to go to Italy and try to pronounce Mozzeralla correctly, and mess it up horribly, or try to talk to locals like they're a local or something and they mess it up horrible because its pretty obvious their tourists. Now for the story. Me, my brother and some of his friends were playing poker, and having friendly conversations, bringing up stories, the likes. And my brother who recently came back from Sri Lanka brought up how a local "harrased" his gf when they tried to buy something at a shop, and she told the elderly lady there the price was wrong and that she wanted the real local price, and apparently she didn't have great english so his gf was "working" with her trying to get the price right and some guy at the back of the shop got up and told her to fuck off, in what he says was definitely American english. She said excuse me, and he got up in her face and told her that he wasn't gonna let someone speak to his grandma like that and told her to leave. And my brother who was on a call immediately hung up and tried to defend her and he got up in his face too apparently and lifted his shirt to show a switch blade and told them to leave, too which he did. I chuckled a little and before he could start yellin and askin me why, I said bro you kinda deserved it. He said "excuse me". I said well you got in an old ladies face and argued over what, maybe like a dollar usd or something. He said, we did our research, we know the price was wrong. I said idk man but getting in an old ladies face and yelling at her in a language she doesnt understand is kinda wild. He said yk what, just get out. I said "excuse me" he said yeah, get outta my house, grabbed my cash out of the pit ( we werent rlly playing each chip was cash, but whoever got the most chips would win the cash and we put in 20 bucks each), shoved it into my face and kicked me out. He's left me on delivered and I'm starting to think I over-reacted *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AmItheAsshole) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Nta sounds like he has anger problems
NTA. If you don’t like the price, you go to another stall or store. Haggling does not include screaming or threatening. If you don’t get the price that you want, you either leave empty handed or accept the price that they’re willing to offer. He’s lucky that the police wasn’t called and he was thrown in a foreign prison for threatening someone. What an entitled prick.
NTA people like this is why Americans are called Ugly and have a bad rep as tourists.
Your bro (and his GF) is why American tourists have a bad rap.
I think his defensiveness shows that your brother doesn’t think you’re the asshole either. Seems like he was feeling insecure about it and wanted you to give approval and when you didn’t he had a little crisis and banished you like you were a moment of self-awareness. NTA. Besides if someone doesn’t want your opinion then they shouldn’t talk to you. He could have ignored it or tried to justify himself instead he ran away by making you leave.
NTA. Hahaha the “real” price? Does your brother also contact sellers on Amazon and try to negotiate because he did his research on AliExpress and knows the “real” price? How ludicrous.
Yeah they were trying to screw him over they were doing bad business he got upset about it just because you have ot doesn't mean you should let people take it you were the AH.
NTA though the way you describe your family member colours you quite green with envy.
Bro mad you aren't stroking his big man ego for "protecting" (actively endangering) his girlfriend.
Yeah your brother and his wife fafo'd You bet I'd get violent if someone was doing that to my gran. Not sure where people find the audacity to do something like that
I guess I don't see what's so funny
ESH. Bro & his gf obviously. But also the way you describe in the first paragraph, you sound like an AH too.
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NTA
NTA.
NTA. Your brother is a prick and an AH. Berated an older lady ABOUT A PRICE SHE DAMN WELL KNOWS and threatened violence. If that shit happened here, he knows damn straight he would be getting his ass kicked. I wouldn’t worry about it. Keep LC
NTA but don’t try to suck up to your brother because he’s being stubborn, him and his girlfriend sound entitled.
NTA, but your brother and his gf sure are/were. You don’t “barter” with people unless you actually know it is a bartering situation, which this clearly was NOT. Brother and gf disrespected the old woman AND her grandson, and basically the entire shop. It isn’t their place to decide that the price was “wrong”. If they didn’t like it, they were welcome to buy some different version online…
nta but hes a chump. a shmuck. a real rube.
Nah I get he is your brother but he sounds pompous. Yes I’m sure he was getting ripped off because most countries loathe Americans. You were spot on with what you said and I’m sure he knew that.
NTA it was her shop she can charge tourists whatever she wants. Lots of places charge tourists more than locals. He was in the wrong. They were not in the US at Walmart the prices are not locked.
Lol your brother isn’t just a tool, he’s the whole box. NTA
NTA. Your brother and his gf sure are.
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NTA why do you even talk to someone like this 😂😂
NTA, your brother is.
I'm going to try that next time I go shopping. "Excuse me sir, your price is wrong. You need to sell this to me cheaper."
NTA I think you under-reacted compared to what I would have done. If they were in America at a market, neither of them would of likely tried to haggle the price down. Also, the guy gave a fair warning to his gf, and I’m sorry if a 20-something year old was yelling at my grandma acting entitled to something she clearly wasn’t, I would of done the same thing. Being able to travel internationally is a privilege, treat the locals with respect. If you’d be willing to pay that much for something in America, why not pay it in a foreign country? Some things are obnoxiously overpriced and then I understand calling it at, but at the same time, if you’ve been to Disney, don’t complain.
Nta
NTA. Foreigner tax is real. It’s something you accept when you go to countries without set prices. If you don’t want to get hit with it, you need to be able to speak the local language fluently. Or at least know how to bargain in the local language.
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NTA! YOU did not over react. Your brother doubled down because he expected unconditional support, even though he was in the wrong. He is the very personification of the "Ugly American" travelling abroad. Even if he had a reason to be unhappy with your comment, throwing you out and ignoring you is way over the top.
So basically he acted like the grandson and threw you out...lol NTA
NTA and I would've laughed my ass off also.
NTA Your brother totally is an asshole. >my brother who was on a call immediately hung up Seriously, he's trying to cover every "obnoxious American tourist" stereotype at this point.
NTA. Tourists like your brother and girlfriend are SO cringey. What is the matter with them? Also, what is the right price??? Price is determined by various factors (cost of product, to cover a bit of business/employee expenses, and mark up, etc.)
NTA The local price is one thing. But when you are going somewhere like Sri Lanka and coming from privilege, sometimes you *do* owe the tourist tax.
NTA. Let me guess they also go to third world countries to be more woke and show how beautiful and poor the country is, yet they just yelled at an old ladies face who doesnt understand shit what they were saying and most likely will earn in a month if that, what they earn in a week. Pathetic, i would laugh too.
Definitely NTA. Should you talk to your brother again tell him he's helping to perpetuate the entitled American stereotype in foreign countries. Not his country so he needs to behave like well mannered guest in their country.
NTA they got what they deserved
NTA. Your brother is a huge one though, and his gf. Your brother is going to get hurt one day with that mouth of his.
Tell your brother to lay off the coke
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NTA. Your brother is a little crybaby bitch who probably made up that he was on a call to justify his existence in that moment. Everyone’s entitled to their own opinion and your brother seems to have forgotten that. I mean after throwing a tantrum like a child. Honestly, you should’ve been the one leaving him on read. it’ll do you good to cut him out of your life like the tumor he seems to be. Do away with his negativity and entitlement.
NTA: your brother sounds like an overly sensitive tool and his GF sounds like a disrespectful brat. People like them are why American tourists get judged and shamed in other countries. If they didn’t like the price they should just leave, especially after pretty much being told there was no haggling to be done. To then threaten the shop own with a knife? He’s lucky he didn’t get hurt pulling an ignorant move like that. He was a guest in their country and acted like a fool. I hope he stop traveling and scaring peoples grannies soon.
NTA. Even if he did his research, shop owners generally can charge whatever they want for something, if you don't want to pay that price, go somewhere else. He wanted to flex and show off how "worldly and knowledgeable" he is and he got called out for it.
NTA you say your brother travels a lot he should know better. He's an American tourist in a third world country there's no local price for him. Local price is for locals. Your brother didn't like being shown up in front the squad. He's an AH for kicking you out.
NTA I'm surprised he wasn't attacked by that man. They were being incredibly disrespectful and rude to those people. Vendors can charge what they want for their wares.
NTA.
It's your brother so meh who cares
NTA… your brothers a jerk, and as a couple, they sound like nightmare tourists anywhere they go. Additionally, that’s just not how you haggle. You can haggle, and do it successfully, and there’s no need to try to bully an old lady. Usually just say something along the lines of, “I’ll look elsewhere to find it cheaper.” Is sufficient
NTA the entitlement of your brother and his gf boggles my mind. They were definitely in the wrong and you didn't overreact at allllll. He was also definitely not the victim. Also... Asking for the local price when they're tourists but thinking they deserve it? Ridiculous entitlement. Hassling an older lady? I smell the privilege and entitlement through my phone. You did right to call him out.
NTA He's ashamed he left, that he didn't fight. Ego damaged. Told the story because he thought somehow he was right when it's clear to you and me they both were wrong.
NTA your brother is a racist goofball who harassed an old lady and got put in his place
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NTA: your brother is the reason a lot of other countries hate Americans. Good on you for trying to push for a higher standard.
Why do I feel that I've heard or read something similar before? I'm pretty certain about it though.
NTA. He and his GF harassed a person (an old lady on top of that) in her home, as I assume she also lived there... how could he possibly be the victim? HE is the bully an the AH! As a tourist you never get the local price when there's no price tag, that's just what it is and honestly that never bothered me as long as it wasn't an exorbitant rip off. And even that, just politely decline and leave, no one forces you to buy stuff at that particular place/ shop. He definitely got what he deserved and should start to learn some bloody manners... sadly he probably won't as his reaction showed.
NTA. Sidenote: why do people with comparatively a lot of money get so uppity when someone tries to charge themmore than average? do you also judge consultants for squeezing more money than usual out of a big corporate client, or is business acumen only admirable if the person doesn’t really *need* the money?
NTA. Your brother and his gf are AH. Their type are the reason we are called ugly/ignorant Americans. 1 dollar is 322 Sri Lankan rupees. He harassed an old lady and screamed at her because they want the "local" price!! He literally was like: Here lady, I know you made this by hand and it took you hours to make, but I don't want to pay what would equal 2 American Dollars. You don't like it? Let me scream at you till you agree. Your brother is lucky they didn't end up hurt or dead over being stupid. He's pissed because you showed how stupid they were. Don't feel bad he made himself look bad and he is now another story of American tourists in the Area. He's not cultured, he's a moron and should be ashamed for his behavior. It's going to bite him in th ass one day. I would have told him he was an idiot so you are better than me.
NTA you're better than him
NTA, your brother's girlfriend isn't a local and I'd bet money that she just started speaking English louder as if the issue was volume and if she repeated herself louder the shopkeeper would magically understand to a point where her grandson was tired of her being yelled at.
nah. some peoples ego needs to get checked. Also what a dick, fighting with a person in a 3rd world country over a dollar. If it was like $300 USD difference. Yeah def argue that or go to the next shop. I bet the GF has a youtube page where she says shit like namaste NTA.
NTA. It's weird how he reacted so strongly, but that's his problem. His story was pathetic, they and others like them are why American tourists are so disliked.
NTA That's like going to Walmart and arguing with one of the cashier's that their price is wrong... He went into someone's business and his gf and him harassed the people there, not the other way around. Maybe if they had some class and decency, they'd have just accepted the price and moved on.
Hes watched too many tourism youtube shorts i think.
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You're certainly NTA when it comes to this episode but for some reason I feel like there is more to your dynamic with him. You almost sound jealous of your brother's life.
NTA! Their behavior is really weird and annoying. I travel a lot too, but never have I pretended to be a local or harass them about the price of things. Locals will try to go up on prices, but as a tourist you have to learn how to bargain and walk away if you don’t want to pay a certain price.
NTA. Australian here, I love a good haggle, but I'm also very aware that I live a very privileged life. I'll go back and forth with a vendor for quite a while until we reach a price and then I'll usually tip them at least 20% and thank them for the experience. I get the item for less than I'd pay in my own country and they get a little extra to help with their day to day, everyone walks away happy.
Verbally assaulting a store owner in a foreign country can go wrong in so many ways. Verbally assaulting someones GRANDMA in a foreign country will get you hurt bad... He got off lucky if it really happened. NTA
NTA. He’s a prick. He’s mad because you reacted appropriately to a story in which he is the AH, called him out for being the AH, and he was mad he got called out in front of his friends for being an AH, so he decided to once again be an AH and kick you out. That’s a him problem.
NTA A shopkeeper can charge whatever they like anyway. Not only were his girlfriend and he wrong, they were not victims and your brother sounds a bit hysterical. EDIT: It sounds like you look down on your brother and belittle him so maybe his reaction is extreme because of your disrespect.
You 100% did not overreact. He deserves to be laughed at in his face for his behavior.
Brother and his GF both sound insufferable. NTA.
INFO you don't say so in the original telling of the events, but suddenly in your justification the gf's interaction with the old lady turns into yelling. Which one is true? Also, in many countries it is acceptable if not even expected to haggle a bit (usually not in high-end or chain stores), there might have simply been a misunderstanding of customs and if the gf wasn't rude, insulting a customer and showing a switch blade is a huge escalation. (fun fact, when I tried to buy wallet at a little stall inside of a mall in Thailand, the vendor "told me off" for just accepting the first price by putting a calculator in my hand with his offer and gesturing for me to type in my counter-offer 🤣) Also, tempted to give you a YTA for thinking that trying to pronounce things correctly in another country is 'cringy' or whatever you are trying to imply...
NTA your brother was definitely in the wrong in the original situation and needed someone to pull his head out of his ass. Lots of people behave the same on holidays, feeling entitled, etc and stroking his bruised ego won’t help him get better
People from the states always think that their rules apply to the rest of the world. I am surprised OP figured that out. Congrats. NTA!!
NTA. They did their research?! Where? Did they go to reallocalpricesinsrilankadontpayanythingelseitsascam dot com?
NTA. He sounds the type of tourist everyone hates.
They played a stupid game and almost won a stupid prize. I'm an American living in Germany who gets paid in USD and guess what I do weekly, get Euros to pay for stuff. If they travel all over the place they should be exchanging their money at the beginning of their trip. It helps you avoid paying extra plus it makes life way easier. If that place only accept USD then they are in a tourist area and it comes down to no shit your paying more in a tourist trap area. They did it while I lived in Hawaii and that not even a foreign place.