I AM WHITE THEREFORE “I NEED!” - East Nanjing Road

On my first day of exploring Shanghai, I was confronted with many Chinese people approaching me asking me “Where you from?”. This is all good and fun, until like my friend Jill had warned me, the questions continue. They will ask you so many questions, and personal ones!! One of their favorites “Are you married?” After saying no a few times and seeing the look on their faces, I have taken some advice from a book I recently read ‘Eat, Pray, Love.’, simply responding “Not Yet!”. They seem to like this response much more. Wthin a very short time of being in Shanghai I have come to realize that the color of my skin acts as a symbol, heck a huge billboard, that says “I am white, I have money, I have needs!” I always laughed at Jill’s impersonations of the Chinese on East Nanjing Road (the main shopping strip in Shanghai) but she was dead on! I cannot make it even ten steps on this street without someone running at me, saying “You need purses, shoes, watch, dvd!” I place an exclammation mark at the end of that statement instead of a question mark because that is how they say it here. The tell you that you need it. “Gucci, Prada, Luis Vitton, Rolex, Puma”. The first day of exploring down East Nanjing road I was very intimidated and overwhelmed. So many people, so many stores, people coming up to me, grabbing my arms, telling me what I needed. Can you say Papparottzi?. And the knick nacks.. so many little knick nacks... Gel filled pigs that you can throw against the wall without breaking, fI don’t think I bought anything other than a popsicle and even that was scary.
The next day I hit East Nanjing road I decided to treat shopping on this street like more of an adventure, an action packed adventure. I knew I wanted a purse from Shanghai, not that I am that consumed with the name brands, but every girl needs to come home from Shanghai saying she went on a ‘copy-mart’ adventure. Plus the idea of learning how to bargain hard early on in my Asia trip was a high priority. Walking down the street I swallowed my fear and told myself that the next well dressed, not too pushy, friendly vibe individual that approached me, I would take them up on their offer. Within a few minutes I had found my ‘guide’. This guy took me down back alleys, through secret hidden doors, up to the 14th floor of office buildings to various knock off stores. I came to realize that all these little souvenir type shops lining the streets, that puzzled me as to how they survived, were actually just fronts for what lay behind the walls..... Gucci, Prada, Louis Vitton....... To the surprise of my guide, I am quite particular in what I want, partially becuase I want the adveture to fill my afternoon time slot and partially cause I am not into those couture signature print bags. I wanted something unique. After about five shops and a full afternoon, I found it gleaming from the shelf... my knock-off. All of the people in this back room shop are surprised by my choice, a plain camel coloured leather handbag, from a designer I had honestly never even heard of! Now comes the fun, the bargaining! I think I did okay, bargained down to below half the asking price. It was a weird, uncomfortable situation, this whole bargaining thing. She tells you the asking price by punching in a number on a calculator and then she hands you the calculator and says you give me your best price. I just imagine walking into Club Monaco in the Eaton Centre, grabbing a leather hand bag marked $250 dollars and saying to the salesperson, my best price offer $50. So odd, but they expect it. It's a game. I expect that I probably could have paid a little less, but for a first timer I can hold my head high. I'm sure I'll get better at this. Actually on my way home I bargained for my popsicle! I knocked her down a solid 1 Chinese Yuan (net savings for me about 15 cents)!!!

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