Spectrum 253. I give you best price

Spectrum was a long-running weekly radio documentary series which captured the essence of New Zealand from 1972 to 2016. Alwyn Owen and Jack Perkins produced the series for many years, creating a valuable library of New Zealand oral history. 

A tour around the tourist shops of Suva, Fiji, looking at "bargain" shopping and the duty-free game.

Actuality of a New Zealand woman haggling with Fiji Indian store-owners.

Jack Perkins walks among Indian and Fijian stalls and asks one holder how long it takes her to make a necklace and her family situation. He talks with tourists about their purchases and how they barter for a good price. One says that duty-free is only slightly cheaper than New Zealand prices.

Jack goes to Cummings Street, the heart of Suva’s duty free shopping area. He describes the barkers enticing the tourists into their shops and shop keepers talking about their pricing. Jack explains New Zealand’s customs duties and allowances.

Jack asks what protection there is for customers with regards prices. He is told customers should compare prices before purchasing. He asks how shop keepers set their prices.

Street hawkers follow tourists from hotels, tour buses and cruise ships and get the first bite of the cherry. He talks with a hawker, who does it for a living, about his sales and about him earning $40–$50 dollars on a good day.

There is a large contingent of New Zealand soldiers in Suva and some talk about the deals on electronic appliances they get from a retailer named 'Pepe".