"generic in town RP"
This is an apt description I think and a lot of people have it in their games, even simply based on inferences in this thread. Maybe most or all people have it. The problem is that I don't like it. It's boring and not fun and really serves no purpose. My players have standing orders to simply purchase/sell anything they want without even bothering me. By anything I really mean non-"plot" items. Obviously, there will be some things I don't really want sold, but that will be obvious because (a) the players will know they're special and (b) I won't have given a price.
I simply don't want to waste even twenty seconds on:
Player: When we get to town I got to the <insert store here> and buy <insert item here).
DM: Okay.
Any other "generic RP" events like this that I can get rid of entirely? I'd much rather spend the time on more fun things. Maybe another question, however, and I'm sure someone out there reading this is aghast, is it really worth it to spice up (try to save) all such generic RP?
Personally I think you are missing some really good RP and immersion situations. I'll give you and example:
We just entered a large city with an Egyptian-style market. In other words, if you didn't haggle you ended up getting swindled out of your underpants.
Our Minotaur Fighter who has portrayed himself as a bit simple when it comes to earthly matters wanted to get himself a nice big +1 chainshirt. He had two regular size chainshirts +1. Somehow, he came up with the idea of going to the market himself. Oh great.
He starts haggling with the merchant who tells about his 18 children and 4 kids and that it's costly to feed them, etc. He ends up giving the merchant a +1 longsword, the two +1 chainshirts and says he will bring the last 4000gp of the asking price a bit later.
The whole time while he is haggling I am sitting in my chair nearly falling of because the player didn't understand he was being fooled until half-way through, and decided his character was this gullible. My character is the one that holds all the cash so he comes to me for the money. I ask what for and he explains the deal. I quickly turn to our cleric of Shinare (God of Trade among other things - Lawful at that). The Shinare Cleric gets all worked up and tries to reason with this merchant, but he doesn't budge an inch. A deal is a deal.
Now, two other characters gets a hang of the story and decides they can help out! They are kinda drunk but at least they are good at haggling. They find another merchant, gets a nice price (2000gp total) after a long session of haggling. Really, they worked their butts of getting a good deal and the DM played along. Now, right before they close the deal, they ask the Minotaur what he is going to use the oversized +1 chainshirt for. He explains that it's going to replace his current normal oversized chainshirt which he sleeps in, in case we get ambushed. In other words, he really doesn't need it. The two hagglers throw up their arms in disgust! All this work for THAT!!! They stomp out leaving the Minotaur there without a closed deal.
Now, in the mean time the Shinare Cleric has decided enough is enough after praying for some guidance and visits the merchant one more time. The merchant still doesn't budge going on about how it was a fair deal. The Shinare Cleric ends up casting Greater Curse on the merchant reducing his cha to 1 until he lifts the curse. He can lift it if he undoes the last 3 or 5 frauds (deals) he made.
Some time later, at while the party is at the inn the bartender comes over to the Minotaur saying that somebody came over with some chainshirts and a longsword...
The roleplay involved was some of the best I have ever seen by the party. People really got into the haggling and the over the top reactions when they found out that they had been doing it for no reason at all except the Minotaur's weird ideas of what he needs. The Minotaur hasn't tried to do any "shopping" after this, always asking one of the other characters.
... Now, I do agree that most mundane shopping can be pretty boring, but really if your players are up for it, it can really do a lot for getting to know the different characters.