Has anyone ever stopped to realise that Cambodians never seem to buy anything off retail shops or restaurants that are not run by Cambodians or do not have Cambodians working in them!
They like us to buy goods from them , but it seems that if a foreign person is selling something they do not buy!
Maybe it’s just me!
But I cannot think of a restaurant or shop that is run by foreigners that Khmer people patronise!
Any thoughts?

They will buy if the product is superior, and for a cheaper price.

It is probably because of the language barrier. Most likely, if you sell good products at a good price, and can communicate with them, they will buy from you.

With places like bars and restaurants, they may also like to chat, and meet friends. If there is nobody to chat with, and nobody they know, they may go to a place where there is. Some come in groups, so it is not such an issue. If you are friendly with them, they are likely to come back.

Most Cambodians will normally eat Cambodian food. They may eat things like pizza, but not food they are not familiar with.

I can't think of any retail shops or restaurants that are not run by Cambodians or do not have Cambodians working in them.

Having had some experience of selling products in Psar Chas I can say there is some truth in what you say. Some Khmers are reluctant to buy from foreigners. There can be many factors involved such as shyness about their English, a belief that a foreigner might cheat them, a feeling of intimidation when the foreigner is much larger than them. Even so I found it was mostly older people who were reluctant to buy - young people seemed perfectly confident to buy from me. I think also that this phenomenon is not unique to Cambodia but is fairly common in many parts of the world.

There is also the fact that many foreign businesses are designed to sell to foreigners and located in areas where mostly foreigners go. For example last month I went to Koh Rong and ALL the staff in the hotel/restaurant where I stayed were foreigners - mostly Russian. There were some Khmer guests who did not seem to have a problem with them. Although the Russians looked like pretty tough guys they were very friendly.

Selling in Psar Chas to foreign tourists is a real pain. They walk around taking pictures and if they buy something (rarely) they will haggle over every small thing. I once had a European tourist who wanted a bag which was $1.50. She haggled for ages to buy for $1 saying that she only had dollars and did not want to take riel in change. In the end I said that if she did not want riel in change then the price was $2. She did not buy the bag.

Are you selling stuff they want plus many are shy to be in a bar or restaurant they feel they don't fit ( economically) that's what I experience from taking some into a bar or restaurant

I've owned and run two businesses here - 1 aimed at foreigner tourists who were a real pain to deal with and I sold that business and got out. The other is aimed at Cambodians with 99% Cambodian customers who are far easier to deal with, and that has been profitable every month for 12 years since opening.

samrong01 wrote: ↑Thu Jul 16, 2020 6:10 pm I once had a European tourist who wanted a bag which was $1.50. She haggled for ages to buy for $1 saying that she only had dollars and did not want to take riel in change. In the end I said that if she did not want riel in change then the price was $2. She did not buy the bag.

Fantastic!

samrong01 wrote:Selling in Psar Chas to foreign tourists is a real pain. They walk around taking pictures and if they buy something (rarely) they will haggle over every small thing. I once had a European tourist who wanted a bag which was $1.50. She haggled for ages to buy for $1 saying that she only had dollars and did not want to take riel in change. In the end I said that if she did not want riel in change then the price was $2. She did not buy the bag.

Khmer know the general price of the bag before they walk in. Knowing what the normal price is before buying, they will haggle to the real price.
They also are good at reading the signs of haggling and know what is overpriced, underpriced, and normal price.

Tourists don’t know what the normal price of a bag is. In the West, prices are fairly priced to begin with (except car buying) without haggling. Plus they have no skill in haggling. The tour books say haggle, so they haggle without knowing. Or haggle for the experience of haggling.

Even in buying a car in the West, it’s difficult to know the real price. So many options are added into the car to inflate the book price. Then there’s trade in value for the old car, and financing deal.