Acapulco – Shopping for Folk Art, Crafts and Souvenirs – General Tips

As a hub for cruise ships and as Mexico’s “grande dame” of tourism, Acapulco is a great center for buying quality folk art from all over Mexico. In addition, you will surely find it really easy to find lots of inexpensive little gifts and souvenirs. This article gives general information and tips on shopping for folk art, crafts and souvenirs in Acapulco. A related article deals with where in town you find these things. A third addresses the separate subject of Mexican silver.

Planning Your Shopping Trips. Travel experts usually recommend that you make a list of the people you need to buy for, create a budget, and do your shopping in two steps. Make one outing just to browse, and another to do your buying. It is best to accomplish all of this early in your vacation time, so you can relax and not worry about it later on. Last minute shopping on the way out of town almost always results in less inspired purchases, more stress, and more expense than doing it the careful way. Everyone knows that the airport departure lounge is not the best place to buy anything.

Your first outing – to browse – is just so you’ll know all the options and your range of choice before you settle down to bargain. You can also get good ideas about how variable the asking prices are, and hence if haggling will result in a good deal. You can also gauge if you should be carrying currency or if a credit card will work fine for you. After the first outing, revise your shopping list with the more specific ideas (and information on cost) that you gathered during reconnaissance.

Haggling Over Prices. In general, bargaining with your seller can produce a lower price for you, especially if you are in an open air market or on the beach. Products in formal retail establishments (with air conditioning and display cases) are usually not priced with the expectation of haggling. You may be able to receive a discount for cash or for quantity, but typically the indicated price is the price. If you are lucky to be speaking to the owner or manager, you might request a more generous discount if you can think of a reason why you deserve it. In almost all other contexts you should make counter-offers. Imagine that the opening price is twice what the vendor is hoping for. If you can’t get the price down to where you want it to be, leave. Acapulco has many other vendors who will compete for your preference. If you get to a price that works for you, say “OK.” Unless you particularly enjoy haggling over prices, your vacation time is more valuable than the few pesos more you might save by investing additional time and effort.

Authentic Folk Art. Several stores and art galleries sell folk art, some of it signed by recognized artists. This would include the beaded figures of the Huichol and the black pottery from Oaxaca. A number of places offer reasonable quality for not much money. Indigenous vendors on the beaches and sidewalks of Acapulco sell their own handiwork, which includes textiles, jewelry made from seeds, shells and semi-precious minerals, masks, carved wooden decorative items, hammocks, bowls, baskets, hats, purses and figurines. Usually there is so much inventory in one place that it is hard to appreciate a single item. Pick it up and hold it away from everything else to see whether it appeals to you when looked at in isolation. Examine the workmanship. Necklaces and bracelets of shells or stone that are held together by a fiber cord (instead of a chain) should be sturdy, yet pliable.

Mexican Silver entails several additional considerations. See the related article that covers this subject.

Souvenirs. The open air markets should be your starting point for souvenirs. Just make sure that what interests you is the local article, and not something imported from Asia. This is particularly true with anything made of plastic. You can buy a t-shirt or a towel that says just about anything from sincere to spicy. Shot glasses, piñatas, sombreros, ceramics – all will be spread out for you. You can bargain on price, and you can work out package deals and discounts if you buy more than one item. Credit card sales – when possible – usually result in higher prices, since the vendor pays a processing fee. Also, the amount of the sale is subject to a 17% value added tax, which the state collects from your vendor. (The cash sales are subject to the same tax, but the audit trail is much fainter.)

Two Warnings. If you are new to the Mexico tourist souvenir scene, know that a couple of tourist items are just traps and should be avoided:

• “Tortoise Creams.” This is a double scam. If the product is genuine, that is, made from sea tortoise eggs, know that the species is endangered. The product is contraband, and if it is discovered in customs, it will be confiscated. In any event, science repudiates the claims made for this product. Besides, since it’s a crime to harvest the eggs, most of the unscrupulous vendors can’t find the genuine article anymore, so they just repackage cheap, greasy lotion and pass it off.
• Souvenir Tequila. It’s OK to buy a decorated tequila bottle – especially the small ones for sale in a lot of places. But do not imagine that the contents are the greatest tequila made. It may not be tequila at all! It’s best not to drink it. If you buy a souvenir tequila bottle, empty it before getting on an airplane, to avoid issues with the regulations.