China Day 13

What to do? More shopping!!

Arrived at a small shopping centre hidden away from the crowds, where we left with plenty of clothes.

Personally, I finally was able to get my hand on a couple of jumpers, two jackets, a belt, and some gloves. I don't even remember the price; they varied, depending on the brands and such. 

Getting into more outlays!

We had to be very wary of fake products; a few of these stores sold very dodgy rip-offs, which were disappointing, but often you're able to tell. A lot of it comes from experience, but just by looking at how the store assistants react and the store set-up, as well as other tell-take signs, you can usually tell when something is fake or legit.

You'd think that just because it's expensive means it's quality, but that's not always true. And just because it has the logo doesn't indicate it's genuine either. It's a difficult situation, but you can bag really great bargains if you know how to distinguish. Especially since a lot of the stores sell the 'leftover' goods from last seasons, or the ones in XXL or XS (which we refer to as 'broken sizes' in direct translation).

Anyway, afterwards we went out to dinner with some more family friends, which was really enjoyable. We then found ourselves back home, relaxing and rejoicing over today's haul. I can tell you we were all very, very tired, and shopping in China is not the most enjoyable experience -- I can assure you the shopping experience is of much higher quality in Sydney, but the bargains here are through the roof. Anyone who's bothered to search and chase after sales will have an absolute field trip in Guangzhou, if they know how and where to look. And how to present themselves to store-keepers.

It really is a game. You have to show just the right amount of interest-- enough so store assistants realise you're here to buy, but not too much so they think you're an easy target. It's when you reach the perfect balance that they start to offer deals and discounts to you in order to try and 'reel you in'. That ranges from actual price discounts to things such as 'buy this and I'll throw in one of these for free', etc. This rings especially true in stores with no prices on their products, and the stores on the street. Speaking confidently helps too, not waving your money around, and avoiding signs that show you're not from around here. Dare say how much harder it would be if I couldn't speak Cantonese.

I've believed in this for a long time now, but it's true; bargaining is an art. It is a skill that requires a lot of experience, and even through 18 years of observing my parents do it in China, I'm still not an expert (neither are they). It's less relevant now, since China has been picking up its economy and moving to fixed-price shopping centres, but none-the-less, the smaller stores still follow these principles. It's an interesting skill that I'm tempted to say is a necessary component of the Chinese culture.

It's funny though, I can't imagine bargaining in English, despite it being my more familiar tongue. Bargaining and arguing in Cantonese flows so easily from my mouth, because I've only heard it in this language. Just a side note. 

Also, sorry for the lack of photos. I usually don't bother bringing my DSLR to shopping centres because it's such a hassle, and it's also a tell-tale sign that I'm a foreigner and am likely to have money on me.

Anyway, it was a long day, and tomorrow our plan is to visit some hot springs, which will be a very nice relaxing experience.

More clothes,