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Improving my bargaining skills....

CHINA | Thursday, 6 August 2009 | Views [821] | Comments [4]

What a wonderful day...just doing my own thing!!!  I slept in late today...till about 10am.  It's the latest I've slept since I've been here and it's the most sleep I've gotten...felt so good!! :)  I started off the day with a workout (yes, I'm trying to lose the extra lbs :) ) and after lunch, I headed off to Yashou Clothing Market to walk around.  The market has tons of fake clothing, fake bags, and souvenirs...I read that since there aren't as many tourists there, it'll be easier to get a better price.  Wow...the prices are still so outrageous!!!  I got a few things and ended up paying only about 15% - 25% of the asking price (which is probably still too much!).  I think I actually pissed off some salespeople because I wasn't really playing their game and upping my price...I just stick to what I want to pay for it and make them come down lower.  Usually, the conversation goes like this:

Me: How much?
Them:  160 yuan
Me:  What?!?!  Why so expensive?  I'll give you 30 yuan.
Them:  Impossible!! I lose money!
Me:  Too expensive...I'm leaving...
Them:  Wait, wait...what's your best price?
Me:  I told you, 30 yuan.
Them:  Come on...we make friends.  How about 125?
Me:  No, still too expensive...35 yuan.
Them:  Give me your best price...I lose money...
Me:  I told you...35 yuan.  Let me look around...
Them:  Ok, ok...I give you best price..80...
Me:  No, still too expensive...35 yuan.
Them:  Ok, 70...good price
Me:  No, 35...I'll look around and will come back if I don't see anything better...
Them: Wait...50
Me:  I'm sticking to 35
Them:  Ok, ok..how about 40...it's just 5 more yuan
Me:  No, 35
Them:  Ok, ok...you are difficult customer...

And voila...I get it for my price! :)  Why can't everyone just be upfront with the cost so we don't have to play these games?!?!

There were so many fake things there and honestly, I was disappointed to not see things that weren't fake.  I saw some cute handbags, but they all had the fake logos on it.  I didn't want to buy it since I'd rather have the real thing! :)  There were some fake Coach bags and it was easy to tell they were fakes since I've got a few real ones...so I'm sure the other brands are poorly made too for anyone that knows them.  I'll save my money for the real ones....hehehe...

Afterwards, I took a taxi to the Olympic Green to check out the Bird's Nest and Water Cube.  There really wasn't much to do there except walk around the park (maybe there was and I didn't look hard enough?).  I hung around until the evening to see the lights and took some pictures, but my pictures didn't turn out too well.  :(  I had my tiny tripod with me, so it was hard finding something to set it on to keep the camera stable with a slower shutter speed.  The lights were really beautiful though...

For the first time since I've been in China, I had two taxi drivers try to rip me off (these were taxi drivers waiting at the Olympic Green).  I showed the first taxi driver the card for my hotel and he said it would be 100 yuan.  I thought it was ridiculous since I only paid 27 yuan from hotel to Yashou and 31 from Yashou to Olympic Green...so there was no way it was 100 yuan back to the hotel!!!  Plus, they have to use the meter to charge per km!  I went to the next taxi driver and he said 80 yuan.  I got annoyed and just walked away from that taxi area.  I walked further down the street and found an honest driver who actually used his meter...and the final cost...37 yuan!  I wonder how many tourists actually get ripped off on a daily basis because they don't know any better?!??!

Comments

1

YOU GOT TO BEIJING A YEAR TOO LATE!!! but glad you took the time to go see the olympic green. maybe i was all too hyped up during the olympics but the vibe, ppl, the events, and just the olympic spirit in general made that place magical. i could just just spend a whole night at the courtyard staring at bird's nest and water cube. from the looks of it from you pics, they're still attracting lots of tourists (despite nothing being held) so it's good. did you get to see the bellagio-style water show? and looks like the sky's grey... that's not b/c of cloud right?

LOL on your yashou experience. It's so true! the starting prices are just absurdity. i too did end up pissing off some ppl and they're not shy to let you know. usually the young teens were nice and they don't get all mad in your face but the older folks had no reservations. btw, yashou sells excellent *cough* rolexes, breitlings, and omegas that you couldn't fine in HK. it's funny when you go to a booth and ask for them, they'll remove the top layer of crap watches in the display case and you get to see all the goodies underneath. there are different grades of fakes so unless you really know watches, better to not buy (i ended up buying a really nice omega watch for 75USD and i negotiated for like 45 min).

FOOD!!! POST FOOD PICS!!! BEIJING DUCK!!!

  KSPimpizzle Aug 7, 2009 2:12 AM

2

No Beijing Duck pics until Helen comes into town. And besides, I'm just going to the quick restaurants with pictures on them to eat...no one to take me around to order good food anymore. So the food has been OK, nothing to write about! :)

I don't want to buy the fake stuff...in my mind, I'd know it was fake...and I'm already so cool I don't need the "status" of the name brand...heheheh... ;) I still can't believe that US customs allows one fake item per type to be brought in...so funny!!!

  muoy Aug 7, 2009 2:34 AM

3

You seem to be enjoying the bargaining experiences. I guess that makes you "certified" to shop in China. :D

Have fun!

  Carol Aug 8, 2009 7:02 AM

4

Hi Carol!! Yes, I am the expert now...I'm even giving tips to other people on how to bargain....hehehe....

  muoy Aug 8, 2009 1:42 PM

 

 

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