Market Shopping!

After 5 hours of fighting off vendors and fighting with vendors at the Silk Market (which apparently is the 3rd most visited attraction in Beijing--kind've sad statistic but one that shows tourists' need for consumption), I am glad we mastered the art of bartering. WE may seem like a group of unknowing tourists, a non-Asian gaggle of wide-eyed girls slowly walking down the crowded aisles, but we "are very hard" barterers as many a vendor informed us. Below you will find the video gem I managed to snag of Vanessa and Rebecca arguing over a Miu Miu cross-bod purse...

(I need to figure out how to cut it, its too big of a file currently. Bargaining took around 2 minutes which equates to >100MB, dang it)

I sadly, yet predictably, became a semi-professional shopper in mainland China, stuffing my luggage to the max with purchases for the trip home. But when I convert the reminbi spent back to US dollars at the end of the day I feel good about myself.

Rules to shopping in China:

1. Sometimes, as in 90% of the time, you have to say no and walk away or else you would be drug into every stall possible. Phrases such as "missy missy, looky looky" are still resonating with me. Grabbing your wrist and pleading you to purchase is another tactic which may occur...

2. Do not be completely creeped out when the man on the street with a magazine displaying various purses and watches leads you to an upstairs, hallway of a room with faulty flourescent lights and the stench of stale cigarrettes; although, it is nice to go to these places with a group of people. Bartering in groups gives you economies-of-scale power, and in the end the shop keeper cares little if he received 800RMB from a watch and a purse or 10 watches--their profit margin has to be exorbitant.

3. NEVER accept the first price. It depends on the place, but have a general idea of how much you want to spend, split that price in half, and start there. Vanessa paid 100RMB for a sword the shop keeper initally said was worth 1200. Ridiculous, exhausting, but kinda fun too. I began having calculator wars in which they would type a ridiculously high number and we'd say "too high, too high" than secretively converse and type in a ridiculously low number in our calculator... ahhh the joys of communicating with language barriers. Everyone knows the language of money though (unless you're clueless about the conversion rate, i guess).

Missy missy, looky looky. psssh