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Everything you need to survive the recession you can learn from a West African bazaar.

The fashion buyers of the world might be crying the blues but, during my visit last week to the Market Centrale in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, commerce was hopping.

I bypassed the vegetable stands heaping with giant tubers, green bananas and just-ripe mangos, inhaled the trays of roast palm and peanuts, hard boiled eggs and tiny millet pancakes, the knobs of shea butter, the hibiscus blossom tea and the bins of scary dried caterpillar snacks. Eventually I found myself in the clothing district.

And by clothing, I mean fabric because, in a country this poor, made to measure is not a luxury, but a necessity. The only readily available manufactured garments here are the second-hand offerings of Western charities. They lay in pathetic heaps of stained polos and mismatched socks, attracting barely a glance from the fashionable African women who prefer to have their body-skimming blouse and skirt sets (complete with jaunty head scarves) made from bold, luscious batik-prints, bolts of which are sold throughout this market. The trick, of course, is knowing how to buy them.

It just goes to show that, no matter how bad things get and however scarce goods are (and make no mistake: "bad" and "scarce" are operative words in this amazingly buoyant capital in one of the developing world's most desolate corners), people will still find a reason to shop.

The difference between African housewives and their desperate North American counterparts is that these women actually know how to do it.

And in times like these, we have much to learn from the Queens of Lean.

Herewith, a few lessons:

1) Everyone loves a good haggle.

Say a merchant tries to sell you a wood carving for 60,000 CFA francs. You must set your price much lower — no more than half of what he's asked you for, possibly a quarter. After that, stand your ground. Compromise only in increments. Don't be afraid to resort to histrionics in an effort to get your price. Wave your arms, roll your eyes, denigrate the product. Tell the merchant (in broken French) that you don't really need the carving anyway, it's too heavy, inferior. Eventually he will sigh and shake his head. This means you've got your price.

2) Don't be afraid to walk away.

Haggling is a game of risk — and sometimes you will lose. If a merchant refuses to come down to your final price, you must not be afraid to walk away. To do otherwise is a serious loss of face and will reveal you as an unprincipled North American spendthrift. Remember, there are always other stalls, other carvings, other more fruitful haggles to be had.

3) Avoid the middleman.

You don't see African women wasting their money on personal shoppers or online grocery delivery services. So as a foreigner, you too must avoid the sudden, insidious appearance of smiling young men, offering to guide you this way and that, in an effort to claim a commission on your purchase. These middlemen are not your friends. Wave them away as politely as you can (try not to smile when you do it) and make sure you always buy straight from the source.

4) Always do the math.

Add up the bill and count your change. You'll be amazed how often mistakes happen. And rarely in your favour.

5) Just because something is appealing, it doesn't mean you actually need it.

When contemplating the purchase of a goat, stop and think: Do I actually need this goat? Or do I have four perfectly good goats at home just like it?

6) Take the time to comparison shop.

To determine price on a certain item, haggle with a few merchants. It's a time-consuming approach, but the best way to figure out an item's relative market value.

7) If buying more than one of anything, you are entitled to an especially good deal; however…

8) … beware the temptation of bulk buying.

One perfect batik-print sarong is worth five similar but just okay versions of the same thing.

9) Be a satisfizer, not a maximizer.

Recent studies have shown that people who rationalize their consumer choices through excessive amounts of justification, deliberation and comparison (i.e. maximizers) end up less happy, on average, than people who simply go with their guts (i.e. satisfizers). So while it's important to do the math and compare prices, remember to listen to your instincts, too — only they can tell you if that antique tribal chief's helmet is going to look good on your mantel.

10) When in doubt, drink a cup of strong tea.

The green kind. It's full of anti-oxidants. Buy it from a stand on the street. You're one of the people now.