Hi CBF

I have to say I do understand what you mean . likewise we have been to Turkey many times and yes we love it but this year there was a little something missing . couldnt quite put my finger on it and nothing to do with the resort or the hotel. more the shopkeppers I think. not so much of the friendly greetings and banter that we normally encounter and yes noted a few comments when we left a shop without making a purchase said in turkish. .
We also put it down to the fact we were on holiday in high season whereas we normally go end of may when they are fresh and eager to please

like I say nothing that has put us off yet. maybe they are just getting more sophisicated and are becoming more like us
oh dear this one is going to cause quite a debate

I think a lot of this is down to their financial opportunities being whittled away due to red tape. Having to turn the music off at 12 and not being allowed to tout for business is really hitting them this year. We keep in touch with a lot of friends over there and they tell us that their wages are very low this year because the bars and restaurants aren't making the sort of profit that they have in previous years.
If I had to work those long hours in that kind of heat and then find that my pay packet contained half of what I was expecting then I would be unhappy too.

You hit it on the nail zog, How would many of us cope working 14 hours per day 7 days a week for 6 months getting £200 per month only to find out that your only getting £100, This is due to another very very poor season for our Turkish friends perhaps the worst one ever, I have been 3 times this year so far, In April it was empty, In June again it was empty, And again in August it was empty also, Here's a tip catsbumfluff for you, Stick to the places you know and trust that way you know your not going to get the hassle or comments, One more good one for them is if you Tut to them and shake your head to the right or left at the same time you Tut, They then will look away from you, As this basically tells them that your a local here and dont need or have to take the the hassle from them, Just try that and watch the look you get from the offender.

There is no excuse for bad behaviour. We have come across it a few times and have taken the person to task. The reason people come on holiday here is the price and service, they should know this. The main problem is that Turks think every season should be like the best seasons. They bank on it...literally. Landlords rent businesses at extortionate prices and don't care if the renter goes bust.
CBF... try to go a little outside of the resort and you will see the real Turkey. Also the prices are dramatically different and they don't hassle at all.

Chelsea Boy is right, rents for business premises in the prime resorts are huge.

Sadly, even though the landlords are demanding high prices, everyone here thinks they are a brilliant businessman and they will make loads of money really quickly and they start up business' with huge expectations but they never figure out the overhead properly and so it all goes pear shaped quite quickly.

This is no excuse at all for poor service but it does account for the severely stressed approach of many tourist related business' at this time of year.

Also, here in Kusadasi, with the council cracking down hard on hassle a lot of the business' are on their final strike with regard to being reported and one more black mark and they are closed for a year. That is increasing their stress levels too.

Outside of the main tourist resorts things continue to be welcoming and friendly and relaxed and I think this beautiful countryside away from the main resorts is Turkey's best asset and will be the saviour of its tourism industry just as soon as they learn to promote it properly!

K

Hi guys
Thanks for your comments.
I agree its a hard job working all those hours for such low wages.
I too have worked for minimum wage before at £5.00p an hour in this country and it just doesn't cut the mustard.

But i did go to my usual haunts apart from the Thursday market as i have never bothered togo there before.
But i know they need money and i give them respect and i always leave a good tip as i'm far from tight,i take enougth money to tip them well.

But having one guy tell us uk was bombed today as a sick joke just because we didn't buy from him and another making really rude comments because we won't go in his club declining politely i may add and a third thinking feeling my bum is fine...i'm sorry there's no excuse.

I will however return as you say to the more natural beauty of Turkey but not Marmaris or any other tourist town.
But i don't want to put people off.
Iwill always recommend Turkey to anyone who wants to meet great poeple and see a wonderful country.
I just hope the traders in these tourist towns get their staff up to par or people will be put off and bad word of mouth will get round.

Ihave not told anyone at work about my gripe...just you guys as you understand.

catsbumfluff, It would take a resort worker (Waiter) Approx 1 day and 14 hours note these are hours actually worked to make £5 ,12.5 lira, Property is the same everywhere really and Turkey is no different to Prime sites everywhere really, Turkeys big problem is getting the Taxes from it's people, This is why licences (These have to be paid for) are issued for anyone wishing to try and build up a Business, No licence no Business startup im afraid.

Hi rwb46
I appreciate what you're saying, i know that they have a hard time in Turkey.
When i was there last year we would sit most evenings with some waiters at a restaurant we were frequenting and they told us how hard it is for them.
They told us how they work for 6mths in Marmaris to send money home to their families with no days off and then after the season is over they try to get work building new hotels.
And they would show us pictures of their children (those who were married) that is.
So please don't take my dissappointment as a personal attack or rant at the people of Turkey.

But the few who are taking it out on tourists whether they met the likes of that nasty women who took them to the cleaners that i mentioned at the beginning of this discussion or are just fatiged by the daily grind.
They will lose face if people go home and put the bad word around.
And to be honest if its was their first outing in Turkey who would blame them for moaning.
I was just interested if it was just me or was these normally loving people turning into rude individuals?

I think your going to get problems everywhere on holiday, No matter what one person says is good around the corner you will find one that thinks it bad, Everyone has a bad day at work, You dont have to be on Holiday to get one, If im not happy I just move on to somewhere as close to the offending Pub/Restauraunt as I possibly can, I find it teaches them to respect you more as more often you hear them arguing about why you left that place, I have seen them fight with each other over customers who have left also, At the end of the day we all have a choice to go elsewhere in the world, But I personally think that nowhere is as friendly as Turkey is.

I agree, Turkey is so friendly really

We just got back from 2 weeks in Icmeler and although we weren't too impressed with our accommodation, we found the staff in all the bars and restaurants we used to be friendly, helpful and sociable. I did notice some places were shut down temporarily with red & white tape around them and Zabita notices attached, so presumably they had committed some sort if infringement. But perhaps Icmeler is generally having a better season than some other areas?

As we were staying a fair way out of the main resort this time we took advantage of the offers of a courtesy "taxi" from a couple of restaurants, one of which also insisted on taking us back afterwards. Of course by doing that they did ensure that we spent all our money in their restaurant, so they certainly aren't daft!

According to reports from Owner / Renters in Icmeler 9 different persons this has been the worst year ever for Trade, Im also told a very well known one will be closing at the end of October and will cease trading, This particular one has been open for 10 years in Icmeler trading under the same name when I spoke ti him in August he told me it would be far more sensible now to close his premises down and find a Day job rather than continue with his Business as it was now not making money at all for the 6 months he opens it, Now I can say for sure that this place is pretty well packed out from 8pm to 12pm as I frequent it very often, But at all other times it is virtually empty, Random number the red & white tape you see is a forced closure probably due to the staff hasseling people from inside or outside the premises, The owners will learn from this as long as the Council's continue to force these closures, And they are pretty good at catching them out as they vide record the offenders and show them the proof also before closing them down for the period of time that is stated.

Yes rwb46, I knew things must be bad when the Buffalo bar increased the price of a bottle of Efes from 1.5 to 1.75 YTL

Random Number, Next time try the Efes big brown bottled one I cant actually remember the name for it, But it's 7% volume and costs just 2 Lira from Tansas and it's very very strong Lager.

Is that the stuff you drink rwb,i heard it was that strong it went right to the head and makes people rant and rave , just what i have heard right enough , may not be true.
Bluepeterno1

I took 24 bottles back on Two occasions this year, They are all finished now, Peter you should have told me you were going as you could have brought me back a case, Bars hardly sell it, But the bar I go to does as it's not popular enough and really to strong for most people to drink to much of it.

Myself two son inlaws and a grandson were in the irish pub in Kadrieya the night of the Scotland v France game , they sold it in there and i can vouch for the fact that it is strong, or maybe it was more the fact i drunk about 14 bottles ,either way i was very drunk.

Bluepeterno1

Well Peter stick to normal efes, As at least you will remeber clearly the next day, I found that Dark large bottle of efes in my Restauraunt owners fridge in his house and asked him where did you get this when I looked at the 7% volume it was he said I dont know as I had people round here for a Barbecue the week before I arrived, I said to him can you find out as this is good stuff, He phoned around loads of times enquiring where to get it and was told to get it at one of the medium sized Supermarkets in Marmaris close to Marmaris market, He took me to it the very next day to stock up his own Restauraunt and for me to stock up for home.

You lads can keep your lager. Got to be Efes Dark for me, hic! Can't get anything like it in the UK.