Doing Business "The Brazilian Way"

John8670 - yes.... but do learn to negotiate. It is actually kind of fun. I most always get the right price BUT I've had to get assistance in some cases.

mberigan

Learn the language, and this issue will disappear overnight, regardless of where you are perceived to originate from. Thing is, fluency takes years.

As mberigan said, negotiate........learn a few classic portuguese phrases to open the subject matter at hand, and you'll also notice a difference.

Good luck.

   02/15/24 Is it a widespread practice to have one's Brazilian partner handle business transactions to prevent being overcharged due to being a foreigner?

    -@john8670

Sometimes, if your partner is the one who enjoys bargaining.  Not everyone does, not even every Brazilian.  If you give the impression that you have time to haggle all day, you can come out ok even with limited Portuguese.  You can do "good cop/bad cop" -- even with your partner as translator -- and sometimes get good results by outlasting the seller. Whatever your bargaining strategies are, make sure that you're both on the same page before your start, otherwise, you'll end up undercutting each other.

As @Gasparzinho 777 says, speaking the language is the biggest gamechanger.  Remember that no matter how at home you feel in Brazil, to Brazilians you're always an obvious foreigner from your appearance and dress, and that carries some stereotypes with it:  relatively rich, probably free-spending, not quite as bright as you might be, and especially if you read as American, friendly and eager to please.  I look like no Brazilian from anywhere north of Florianópolis, but I speak Portuguese with no identifiable foreign accent and a bit of a Northeastern intonation.  Watching sellers' calculations change as soon as I open my mouth is very satisfying, and sometimes quite amusing.

@mberigan can probably attest that bargaining isn't what it used to be.  Part of that is Brazil just becoming more attuned to international business practices than it was decades ago.  In a world where almost everything now has a price tag, bargaining is more of an uphill battle.  I also notice an unfortunate and very general change in recent years, probably dating from the hyperinflation that preceded the Real, to maximize the profit on each individual transaction, with little or no concern for building a lasting customer relationship.   Time was when a seller would be willing to cut margin for a good customer, expecting to make it up with repeat trade.  Those days are largely gone, at least in the capitals and big interior cities.

In the markets, you can still sometimes push a price you think is ridiculous down just by expressing shock and incredulity:  "You didn't really say 'SEVENTY-FIVE REAIS", did you?!?!"  Volume often helps:  "if I take one of these, one of those, and two of those, what will you charge me for the lot?"  You have to be good at mental math for that to work well.  And I almost almost always ask for a discount for cash or Pix, even in stores, and often get 5% or so knocked off.  Getting it for a debit card is iffier, even though it shouldn't be.  No discounts for credit card -- the banks charge too much for processing the charge.

I buy a fair bit of stuff from the camelos (street vendors) that are everywhere in Rio, and at street fairs, or places like Saara in DT Rio. Negotiating with them is the norm, especially as I look like an easy "mark".........I usually play dumb and talk in english for a minute or two, then I switch to portuguese for the haggling. That really throws them for a loop as I have a Carioca accent and know all the local slang and expressions. You should see their faces.

That really throws them for a loop as I have a Carioca accent and know all the local slang and expressions. You should see their faces.
    -@Gasparzinho 777

@Gasparzinho777, this is hilarious because I do exactly the same when I am in Mauritius.... Is it possible to record one of those encounters?  I am sure that @roddiesho would be able to create a youtube compilation and post when he gets back to Brazil with all his recording equipment.