I find it inconvenient, even sily the common practice in "exhibition" stalls of not putting price tags on products.

I hate having to ask "how much is this one.....; and this one.......; and that one there....?

It is simply annoying!

What good reason do these small traders have for not indicating their prices?

Do they realise that all bigger businesses [the Nakumatts and Tuskys of this country] always indicate their prices? Perhaps that's one reason why the the former remain small while the latter are growing bigger and bigger.

An item could be inflated to twice the normal price depending on customer. They will always ask 'Kwani ulikuwa na pesa ngapi?' Then the lady will say with a sigh, we leta tu. Haitokangi hivyo lakini nitakufanyia discount. Woe on you!

I was looking for a new pair of shoes and happened to see a nice pair in a stall. I asked the price and the guy said "8k" with a straight face. I turned around and went to Bata where I found a similar pair for 2. These guys are after quick cash.

it pays to windowshop b4 u purchase anything these days....

that pair would have costed much less in garisa lodge...

Yeah, @Faz00; it is silly, really. If you are selling something, why are you treating the price like a state secrete? You put an ad without a price and you get 300 calls in one day and out those, 297 tell you that it is too expensive. If you had stated the price, you only get the 3 calls from the "serious" buyers...

Reminds me also of the many silly employers who state that the salary will be "generous' or "competitive" or other such like nonsense. Do they imagine that more serious people will apply because the salary is "attractive"?

My stand has always been: either you state the figure or say absolutely nothing about it!

This practice is actually sanctioned by the owners...do not blame employees. There is of course many reasons..and I will just mention one why I removed price tag at my small computer accessories shop.
I started a shop with the hope of having the lowest prices in town and rightly put the price. The prices were so low, I could not afford to sell lower than that. But surprisingly, If you told a customer that the price is fixed, they would not buy. They want you to make a special price for them. So, what do I do, I remove the price tag and when a customer asks, I quote a higher price than my last price and when the ask for a discount, I mention my last price...and you know what, they will buy. But quite a good number of people do not check prices around and that is why I cannot believe some prices in some shops yet I when I compare to the price I know they buy at..an they sell just because they are in a good location.

I wanted a suit and checked in a stall at Embassy house.The lady quoted 20k and after haggling she "reluctantly" accepted 18k while I had only 15k.I later bought a similar suit at 6k from I&M carpark.I would have been ripped off.