How NOT to Shop and Pay for Souvenirs

This is my dumb blond moment of the trip...

First, some background. I'm female. I was born to shop. It's hotwired in my brain. I think most females are wired that way. And it seems most men are not.

When we travel, along with exploring all the sites, seeking out all the adventures, and tasting the different foods and beers, I like to shop for a few souvenirs. Nothing big, certainly nothing expensive, just a few mementos here and there to remind me of the places we've been. Or something little to take home for family and friends. And I don't always have to buy something; most of the time I just like to look.

I've learned over the years to buy useful things, items I will actually use and not just move around the house from place to place and then to a box and finally to a garage sale. Lately, I've been buying tea towels (kitchen, linen). Now those are certainly useful. I also have a large collection of shot glasses - small, cute and useful at parties. Sometimes I buy Christmas ornaments - sometimes because I'm very particular about what I want - handmade from the location I'm visiting - not made in China or Japan. I also like ceramics, made locally, preferably by the person selling them, and really have to restrain myself in those shops. Lately I've been buying local tea in their small grocery stores - my favorites of the ones I try during breakfast, flavors and/or brands that we don't have here in the U.S.. (I searched all over for two weeks for a certain brand of vanilla tea and finally found it at our last stop, Vienna.)

Tom, meanwhile, does not like to shop. Anywhere. Anytime. Especially on vacation. However, he doesn't seem to mind sitting in a bar or cafe drinking a beer or two while I shop. So, we've found the perfect compromise: as long as I can find a good place to park him for a half hour or so, I can shop.

Now, back to the story.

One morning, our group went on a short excursion to Trummelbach Falls down in the Lauterbrunnen Valley. We glided down on our gondolas, hopped on the bus, and Ronny, our driver, drove us a short way, maybe 2K, to the waterfall entrance. This is not your ordinary waterfall experience, where you hop out of your car, gaze up a cliff, take few pictures, and ooh and aah about the beauty and the volume of water gushing down from the Alps. This is a waterfall you get to experience - by going into, around, above and behind it. You pay to see this waterfall, and the experience begins with an elevator ride inside the mountain. (See Trummelbach Falls post for further details.)

When we exited the bus, some members of our group, including Tom, made a beeline for the WCs (water closet/restrooms) while our guide went to buy our tickets. My attention was captured by something else - this cute little souvenir stand. Like a bee drawn to a flower, I headed over to "browse" and wait for the others.

Hmmm, here's some kitchen towels, but not linen, and too expensive anyway. Cute t-shirts, but again, more than I would pay. Postcards - don't need them (does anyone send postcards, these days?). I quickly scan over the smaller, typical tourist trap items - key chains, pens, toothpick holders, etc.  Look, beer mug-shaped shot glasses - cute, but I'm not really in the mood to buy those.

Over to the racks - aha! This is what I want! I can't believe I found some. Just last night at dinner I told Tom it would be neat to find some to add to our collection out back - cowbell wind chimes. From the open window in our hotel room and everywhere we've gone in this area we hear ringing cowbells. The noise could be annoying, but the constant clanging amuses us. We could have the sound at home, anytime the wind is blowing, as a reminder of the fun times we've had here. No one else would have a wind chime like this. I check the price - $37 Swiss Francs (SF) - somewhere around $50 US, I guess. OK, I need to think about this for a bit, $50 for a wind chime...

We go to the falls, then stroll back by the souvenir stand. By this time, I've decided not to buy the wind chimes - too big and bulky to carry in our limited amount of luggage. More than I should pay. And so on. I look at them again, and reconsider. I really like and want them. Then I spy something else on the rack. Something useful and not as expensive. Something touristy. A horseshoe shaped key holder. It has a small cowbell hanging on it, is decorated with Swiss scenes - an alpine horn, a farmer and cows, flags, etc. Everything we want to remember about the area is compressed in this one souvenir, even the paganistic horseshoe, still hung in homes to ward off evil. I know just where I'll hang it in the kitchen and which two keys to hang on it. And the price is not too bad - $21 SF. Tom moves on to wait at the cafe while I consider.

Finally, we're at the dumb blond part.

I take the horseshoe to the cashier. She doesn't take credit cards. I only have $5 SF. Tom has some but it's our last day in Switzerland, we're conserving what we have for meals, and don't want to withdraw anymore from an ATM. She asks if I have Euros. Yes, I do. $20 Euros and I have my horseshoe. I'm not sure about the exchange rate between Euros and SFs, I have a hard enough time converting between US and foreign currency, but it seems about right to me.

Wrong! I head over to Tom to show him my useful souvenir and tell him how I paid for it. He and the few other guys sitting with him, all patiently waiting while their wives "shop" or go to the WC, give me an "Are you kidding?" look. Apparently, the clerk just swindled me, and made a nice profit. No problem, I'll just go ask her for my Euros back and give her some Swiss Francs. Tom says we have enough to do that.

She's happy to do this, but wants the $2 Euros coin back that she says she gave me for change.

"Huh? I don't remember getting $2 Euros back. You told me it was $20 Euros and that's what I gave you," I protested.

"No, no, it was $18 Euros and you gave me a $20 and I gave you back $2," she insisted.

I look in my coin purse, don't see a $2 Euro coin but can see she is not going to budge, so back I go to Tom and the guys, tell them this story, ignore their dumbfounded faces and silly grins, get a $2 Euro coin from Tom and go back, give it to her along with $21 SF and she gives me the $20 Euro bill. Now, I have no idea how much my horseshoe cost, but I have a souvenir. And a good story to tell.

Back home, I've hung up the horseshoe where I'd planned and it's cute. And useful. But somewhat touristy. When I go out back by our pool, I wish I'd bought the wind chimes.

Moral of the story - if you like to shop while on vacation, shop. But first, understand the currency conversions. And finally, buy what you really want, so you have no regrets. YOLO!