Shopping and Bargaining

On Saturday I visited the Silk Market, which is a five story building full of little shops that cater especially to foreigners. The market, which sells shoes, bags, clothes, pearls, and more, can be a tourist trap if you are not prepared to bargain. The extremely aggressive and skillful shopkeepers will stop at nothing to make a sale.

For example, a nice bag caught my eye in one of the myriad of shops. The shopkeeper immediately noticed. This conversation ensued.

Shopkeeper: This is a really nice bag. It comes in many colors.

Me: Hmmm.

Shopkeeper: Here, let me take it down for you. Try it on, look in that mirror. This bag is really popular with girls your age right now.

Me: Oh, that’s nice. How much is it?

Shopkeeper: Well, since you are a student and because you are an early morning shopper, I will give you a discount. I normally sell this bag at 520 Yuan or 400 Yuan. But for you, I will make it 220 Yuan.

Me: I think that’s too much.

Shopkeeper: No! That’s already a bargain! For foreigners I would show them this price: 480 Yuan. But since you are a student, I will give you a discount.

Me: No, that’s too expensive. I think I will look around some more.

Shopkeeper: Okay, okay. What’s your price?

At this point, I should have chosen a ridiculously low price such as 50 Yuan. That is one of the tricks of the trade: Never set your bottom price too high. You can’t bargain down once you do. However, I was naïve and wasn’t sure exactly how much the bag was worth.

Me: 100 Yuan.

Shopkeeper: Haha, that is ridiculous. Look, this is real leather. I will sell it for 200 Yuan. How’s that?

Me: No, no. I think I would rather look around some more. Maybe I will come back.

Shopkeeper: Everyone sells it for this amount. You won’t find it cheaper. Okay, how about 180 Yuan?

Me: No, no, I do not want it.

Shopkeeper: Fine, what’s your price?

Me: I told you, 100 Yuan.

Shopkeeper: Don’t be crazy! Fine, how about 170 Yuan? That’s already really low! How about it?

This goes on for awhile until finally she hits 130 Yuan.

Shopkeeper: 130 Yuan! That’s only 30 Yuan from your price. Just give it to me, all right? Only 30 Yuan.

Me: Fine, okay, okay.

I probably could have gotten the price down lower, but I was still satisfied. The bag was cheaper than it would have been in the states, and besides I was tired of arguing with the same person over a difference that amounted to less than $5. The funny thing is that there really are no native Chinese that shop in the area. I saw many Europeans and Americans though. The shopkeepers know that almost everyone is a foreigner, so they even called out to me in English. They seemed taken aback when I spoke Chinese back to them.

The Silk Market did get overwhelming after awhile. First of all, the enormous amounts of tiny shops filled with glittering fares and narrow aisles really did start to look alike after awhile. Also, the shopkeepers stand out in the aisles to call out to you, “LV wallet! Do you want a LV wallet? How about Coach?” and practically jump on you if you look at an item for more than a second. Still, it was a really fun experience to bargain and I bought two nice bags for less than $40. I even saw another friend from Yale in the crowd that I didn’t even know was in Beijing.

So if you are in Beijing, definitely visit the Silk Market. Just remember that if you want a bargain, you have to bargain ruthlessly. And remember that most of the name brands are fake.

Malls and Markets: The Modern and the Old

It is really interesting to compare these opposing elements in Chinese society. Shenzhen on the whole is a pretty modern city but it does contain aspects of traditional culture and habits.

The Modern

I decided to visit this really cheap shopping district in Shenzhen. It is located pretty far from my uncle’s neighborhood so my grandmother and I had to ride the subway.

The subway system in Shenzhen is very modern and pretty high tech. I bought a token from a machine and swiped it at the gate to get into the system. Since my grandmother is a senior citizen, she was able to ride for free. There is basically one main subway line so it was very easy to navigate. At the subway stop, flat screen TVs display the minutes until the arrival of the next train. Announcements are made in Mandarin, Cantonese, and English. The trains are extremely clean and there is no eating or drinking allowed. It took about fifteen minutes to travel seven stops. I dropped my token into the slot and was able to leave the system.

The Modern

We first got off at an earlier stop to meet my friend Kiki for lunch. Since she was on her lunch break from school, we decided to grab some fast food at a Japanese ramen place. We ordered noodles and sushi. Here is my grandmother with her seafood noodles!

Then we explored the mall complex above this stop. All the stores were extremely expensive and fancy, with brands such as Louie Vuitton, Coach, Fendi, among others. Most of the shops were western brands. There was also an ice rink and a movie theater. Though I was tempted to make purchases, I knew this brand-name items are probably cheaper in the states.

The Old

Finally we arrived at the cheap shopping district. It directly contrasted with the shiny new mall we had just seen. Little shops dotted crowded aisles. Each shop was a one-room-cubicle that had a miscellaneous assortment of clothing and a tiny curtain in the corner to act as a fitting room. The prices were definitely low – most articles of clothing were around 39 Yuan, or 6 dollars. There were also many opportunities to bargain, though I sadly lack expertise in this area.

*A few notes about salespeople in China * - They are extremely helpful, to the point of being suffocating. As soon as you walk in they will greet you and then follow you around as you look at the products. They will make suggestions, ask questions, encourage you to try on clothing, give advice, provide compliments and subtly brush through clothing to show-off their wares. Sometimes they will just look at you as you sort through items. This made me slightly uncomfortable as it is very different from the U.S. where you can just tell a salesperson that “I am just looking” and they will usually leave you alone. I definitely prefer just casually browsing and not being pressured. However, I know this is just the culture here.

The Modern

Beautiful apartment buildings and condos across from my uncle’s neighborhood. They have just been constructed and are empty at the moment. I’m pretty sure they will be filled in no time.

The Old

This morning we walked to a market to buy some produce and some steamed buns for breakfast. Farmers that are probably from just outside the city come here every morning by the roadside to sell their products. They are only allowed to be there until nine in the morning because officials are concerned with the aesthetics of the city. Markets are rather crowded, dirty, and smelly.

People were selling vegetables such as eggplants, cabbage, carrots, onions, and bok choy. There were also fruits, fresh meat, street food and eggs. Usually you can find the freshest and cheapest food here.

The Modern

Cars! Shenzhen on average has a wealthier population, at least in the district that we are in. Most of the cars are western brands such as Audi, Buick, Ford, and Mercedes-Benz. They are all very shiny and new. Even I, with extremely little knowledge about cars, could tell that the cars were expensive.