[Symbiote]

Some people avoid taking a holiday or business trip to India, because they don't like the constant harassment from street traders, the expectation to barter and bargain for everything, the ever-present concern that they're either overpaying or being ripped off.

Some of these people also avoid travelling to the USA (and Canada) for similar reasons. Am I supposed to tip for this? Is this a $1 tip, or $5, or 15%? But the card terminal is giving a choice of only 20% or 25%... and is it better to leave cash anyway?

(I'm sure you could explain every situation, just like an Indian can explain all the situations in India.)

[laxmin]

Barter?

You are describing a Hippie taking a holiday, perhaps.

I am in India and I never bargain, hate the pressure. You never have to bargain unless you are in a known tourist trap places, wanting to buy trinkets.

[Symbiote]

In my experience (which is a decade out of date for India, admittedly, although the point was more about the USA) being white makes me an obvious tourist, regardless of the situation. Any initial price will be 5-20× higher than an initial price you'd get.

Fixed price markets and services like Uber are a welcome improvement, but there are still plenty of recent articles (mainly blogs) aimed at tourists concerning bargaining in India.

("Hippies" on holiday in most of Europe don't have to bargain.)