Monday, March 14, 2011

The Bargain

Ok so this is tricky. Especially for blond hair blue eyed Americans (like me). It takes a lot of practice before mastering the art of bargaining. In China, EVERYTHING is negotiable. I repeat, EVERYTHING. Negotiate the price of meat at the food market. Bargain down the price of that toilet brush you bought at the shop mart.  While it helps to speak Chinese, this is not necessary. The shopkeepers will carry a calculator. Negotiation can be done by pointing/nodding/shaking of the head/furiously typing on the calculator.

Here are the steps:

1. Never show interest in anything. When seeing the dress of your dreams, look it up and down and put on a "hmmmm not sure if that's really my type" kind of face. Walk around the store picking up other random items. Before leaving, casually ask the price of the dress. They will ask "How much will you pay?". It is generally wise not to answer this question. Wait for their offer.

2. The shop keeper will inevitably give you a price that is probably eight times the price she paid. "For that?!?" you say, "Look at the hemline! Look at that stain in the corner! Too much." Walk away (slowly).

3. You WILL be called back. "Come back, come back! I'll give you a better price because you are (so pretty/so good at Chinese/perfect for that dress/blonde/thin)" Now its time to offer your price. Don't worry about going too low. It is not unreasonable to offer 80 renminbi for something being sold for 800 renminbi.

4. Negotiation can last anywhere between 5 minutes and an hour. Don't give up. You can usually get what you want. Continue the back and forth. Claim that you aren't even that interested/It's not that pretty anyway/the next door will offer you a better price. Perseverance is key.

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