Question:
I want to visit Kuta Beach, but I heard sometimes the sellers there are a little bit too pushy and persistent when they offer you their products. What should I do?
Answer:
Kuta Beach is one magnificent tourist attraction in Bali. It has beautiful sunset and decent waves for beginner surfers, you can even join a surfing course here. Kuta also has a lot of accommodation, from 5-star hotels to cheap hostels in Poppies lane. But we’re not gonna lie, sometimes Kuta Beach can be a tourist trap. The sellers around the beach sometimes can be too pushy and persistent when they offer you their products and services, like handmade bracelets, foot massages, or temporary tattoos. We know it can be disappointing and overwhelming for you, but we also want you to cut them some slacks, the pandemic condition was hard for their economy too. Without tourists, they couldn’t earn money and make a living.
Solution:
If you just want to enjoy your time on this beach and don’t want to buy anything, we suggest you say “No, thank you” to the sellers once they approach you. Do you need to say NO multiple times? We’re afraid the answer is YES. You can also walk away from them, they’ll get tired of chasing you and leave you alone.
But, if you decide to buy something from one of the sellers, just prepare yourself, other sellers will come and try to sell their products to you too. they will try to sit with you and show you their products, but trust us after you say “NO” multiple times, they’ll understand and leave you alone.
Buying their product is not a crime, it actually will help them a lot. So if you think, you’re okay spending a little money on them, we say go ahead. It will put a little smile on them that day. Try to bargain the rational price first, if they refuse to lower the price, you can always refuse to purchase their products either. If you think they start to hassle you, you can always report them to the security who’s patrol around the beach.