买东西－Shopping

---

Shopping in China is nothing like i've ever experienced. I enjoy shopping at home, browsing, but in China there is much more to it. This doesn't hold true in all places, but it seems that most shopping districts or stores or street vendors require (at least if you don't want to get majorly ripped off) bargaining.

First of all, there are street vendors who sell everything from socks, to fruit, to tofu and steamed cakes, to wall art and tattoos. The vendors keep all of their merchandise in bicycle carts or car trunks or on large sheets. They pedal their merchandise, offering you lower and lower prices as you walk past. Then, all of a sudden the carts start biking away, trunks close, and sheets are pulled up in bundles as the vendors run down into a small dark alleyway. The first time I saw this, I was really confused... and then I saw the police. Obviously these street vendors are illegal, but apparently the cops don't enforce it too strictly because all of the vendors are in plain sight stuffed into a small alley. Nonetheless, the police move on, and the vendors set up shop again a block away from where they originally were.

Then there are the markets, like the silk market, the pearl market, and yashao market. They sell tons of clothing and bags and jewelry and chinese souvenirs, most of it knock offs. When you walk through the halls they shout out at you in awkward imitation english "pretty lady, you need gucci?", "sexy lady, you need jacket?" and grab at you to draw them into their stand. Once you're in there, they try to milk you for all you are worth, trying to sell you a knock off Jimmy Choo purse for 2000元, which is closer to the price of a real one in the states than it is to a knock off in China. Usually we start off bargaining with something really low, and just work your way to a good price. There are different tactics to bargaining, like pretending to walk away and they shout lower prices at you. Some of the workers get fisty and grab you or block your path so that you don't leave. Its like a game that you play with them, back and forth, until finally agreeing on a price.

Sometimes the bargaining gets tiring and we go to Xidan or the Zoo marsket instead, where there are more Chinese than tourists, and the merchandise is geared toward the Chinese as well. Although the prices start lower and you don't need to bargain as much. It's hard to find a shirt that isn't covered in glitter, and pants that aren't a size 0. Its just nice to get away from all of the pushy salespeople with weird english accents and fake american brands.

---

Photos

Illegal Puppy
The smallest dog I have ever seen in my life

Silk Market
From left: Monica, Howie, Ben, Me, Jakey, Ariana, Will

Chinglish at its best
"Please don't drink orange juice after brush teeth or you be die"
*Chinglish=a term for english that has some elements of chinese left and vice versa. usually really incoherent and quite entertaining

Me and Wuwu
My hat vendor friend from the silk market

Carefore
Like a Chinese Wal Mart

Me and Monica
Resting on the subway with all our stuff

Comments

[Ellen Walton]

What a cute puppy!!
That's a really cute puppy!! Would it get really big or stay small like a chihuahua? It would be hard to shop with all those aggressive sales people. Hope you could find some good things to buy because the dollar is not very strong. Steve got us jade and fresh water pearls when he was there. Time is going by so quickly - enjoy what you have left!! Love, Aunty Ellen