Shopping
 

Greetings all!

Can you tell me if there is such a place to go shopping that does not require haggling / bargaining, since I am so bad at it. I would like to bring back some souvenirs and I am a really, really bad shopper.

I am going to Beijing, Xian and Shanghai in December

Thanks,
Artie

Well, you don't have to haggle if you don't feel like it - just know that you can usually get at least 20% off just by asking. You can also go to the local department stores and buy souvenirs there as well and they will probably have a lot of holiday discounts. In Shanghai, you might want to shop at Yuyuan Garden/Old Street where you can pick up virtually any type of souvenir and it's fun to walk around, have tea, visit the garden and people-watch!

Make that 90% off if you bargain at tourist sites. Only get 20% off and you'll typically be paying at least five times too much.

Yes, there are some shops selling crafts, etc. that won't bargain, and whose prices (for hand-made toys, well-packaged chopstick sets, for tea in presentation boxes, etc.) where no bargaining is required.

And if you keep away from the tourist traps where the first asking price for a ¥40 item is ¥360 or more (such as Beijing's Silk Market, 'Pearl' Market, and so on) but shop at the markets the locals use away from big hotel areas, you can find most of the same items for much less.

Nevertheless, wherever you shop, even with marked prices, you should always ask for a discount, and often you'll get a little something. That's what the Chinese do.

Consider, too, shopping for things that are not self-consciously souvenirs, but are useful and cheaper because you're buying them where they are made; or are things that are genuinely useful to the Chinese but not seen at home (miniature bird cages used for keeping pet crickets, for instance).

Peter N-H

Thank you Lia and Peter.

Peter...if possible, where can I find such stores that I can get the chopsticks etc.,with no bargaining also where are the markets that the locals shop.

I will indeed, bypass those markets you mentioned,thank you very much.

Again, thank you both.

Artie

I'm away from my desk, but the shops selling painted and packaged chopstick sets are becoming more and more numerous. Pairs start from ¥8 up to many hundreds of kuai (yuan), with many pairs and chopstick rests all packaged together.

You could look in the Yunhong Kuaizi Dian (韵泓筷子店) on the west side of Wangfujing Dajie towards the south, and there's another branch in the Yuexiu Market on Chaoyang Men Wai Dajie, on in Fuxing Men Wai Dajie, and another in Dōng Zhi Men Wai Dajie. And there are imitators, too, as there always will be almost instantly with any successful business in China.

Even here you may find that if you spend ¥1000 or more (enough chopsticks to build a cabin) you'll get 5% off.

You might also enjoy shopping for tea. There are branches of Ten Fu Tea on almost every street corner, although I prefer the slightly less frequently seen Wuyutai (吴裕泰). The most central of these is probably the branch in Meishuguan Hou Jiē, straight north from the top end of Wangfujing. Or have yourself taken to Malian Dao, which is a street of nothing but tea shops.

The point here is to avoid buying rare or expensive teas unless you are expert enough to know what you are doing. But prettily packaged teas at moderate prices come in innumerable varieties, as dried flat disks wrapped in paper with red characters denoting type and origin, in very pretty caddies, and in boxed packages including pot and cups.

In Malian Dao I like Gengxiang Chaye (北京更香茶叶) where if you want to buy loose tea you can sample many varieties before making a purchase.

For a mammoth multi-storey market in three linked buldings containing just about everything you can think of that's made in China, visit Tianyi Xiao Shangpin Pifa Shichang (or just 'Tianyi Shichang') on the north side of Fucheng Men Wai Dajie a walk west of Fucheng Men metro station.

First asking prices are much lower here than in the tourist haunts, although some parts of expatdom are aware of this place, and there are signs in English to tell you what's on which floor. But it's just as well treated as a sight around which you wander at random. But you'll have to bargain if you shop.

Remote controlled toy helicopters are all the rage at the moment, by the way.

Peter N-H

Peter,

Thank you very, very much for taking the time to send me this information, I really appreciate it. I will print and take with me.

Warm Regards,

Artie