The Silk Market

Today I woke up and realized that there is almost no time between now and when I head home for Christmas!  Woah!  Where did the semester go!!  More importantly...where am I going to get Christmas presents??  I've wanted to go to the Silk Market for some time now; both for the experience and to try to get some presents for my family.  However, I felt as if I shouldn't go for the first time by myself.  For one reason or another I kept missing others who went to the Silk Market and finally woke up this morning and determined...it's now or never.

I made up my mind and threw a map in my newly acquired satchel (well man-purse...so to speak...or maybe more appropriately 'european bag thingy which everyone in Asia seems to have') was out the door and hailing a taxi before I had time to talk myself out of it.  I told the taxi driver Silk Market and we were on our way...and still on our way...and still on our way.  O.k. finally we are there.  (Woah...much longer taxi ride then expected...probably should have taken the subway...but that's o.k. I'm here now and ready to bargain!).

The two scarves I bought for my sister Mary

I step inside the building and am immediately confronted with the sound of yelling, bartering, and people running to and fro.  This place is no joke.  Serious bargainers only.  I realize quickly I need to put my bargaining fears in the past.  I tried out some simple bargaining strategies at the Jin Ma markets and bartered a scarf down 10 RMB (from 40 to 30) and a satchel down 10 RMB as well.  So...yeah...not so great.  But...at least I had tried...and had a little taste of what to expect.  This place is overwhelming...what should I do first...find the scarves.  I drew my sister Mary's name for Christmas and I know I want to buy her two scarves from China...so might as well start there.  I start my way through the first floor and this is certainly different then any of the other markets I've been to in China.  Everyone you pass is speaking English to you begging you to come in...some are reaching out and grabbing you and trying to get you to come in and almost EVERYONE is reaching out and patting my belly.  What?  No lie.  As I walk by it goes like this. 'You like bags'-belly pat. 'You need jeans'-belly pat. 'You like t-shirt'-double belly pat.  Woah...need to find scarves stat!!!

I zoom through floor one...up to floor 2...up to floor 3...up to floor 4...up to floor 5.  I zoom in and out...darting away from belly patters and walking quickly and diverting my eyes to try to stay out of their grasp.  I survey the floors.  It looks like scarves are on floor 3...and I'm off.  I'm walking by stand after stand all with thousands of beautiful scarves and girls yelling at me.  Which one do I stop at?  This lady pats my belly...definitely not stopping...the next lady is yelling at me...nope...next lady says nothing...score!  I'm looking here.  The thing about China is you have to look and decide...quickly!  Two things I'm NOT good at.  But I need to be.  I quickly survey...she thinks I'm looking for myself and I quickly dispel that by pulling out a beautiful purple scarf.  This seems like Mary.  Or at least a good option.  I ask how much in Chinese.  210 RMB.  WHAT!  Holy Moly.  No WAY!  I instinctively start bartering and it goes like this:  210...no...20...no...150...no...50...no 80...no 70...no 75 o.k.  Thirty seconds of bartering and I have the scarf for 75 RMB.  $12.  Good?  No!  That was way to easy.  That was bad bartering Gary...Bad Bad Bad!  But...I know I had to go through this learning experience to do better.  I need to start lower...slow the pace...not go up...let her keep coming down...o.k.  Slower...slower.

You want HOW much for this Adidas Jacket??

I move on.  I come across a shop selling Adidas wear.  I'm a sucker for a black sports jacket and am badly in need of a new one.  Those of you that know me can attest to the fact that my black Nike jacket is old and needs to be tossed.  I go in and she is lively from the beginning.  Smelling a sale she wants to know what I'm after.  An Adidas jacket...what color...black of course.  Of course she has 'just the thing I'm looking for under 18 piles of junk'.  She pulls it out and it is a set of an Adidas track jacket (black) and matching pants.  It looks great.  Will it fit?  Asian clothes generally don't fit me.  So she pulls out the tag XXXXXL is what it says.  Lol...what!  I try it on.  It is a snug fit...but fits well.  I'm definitely not a 5XL...but o.k. whatever...it does look good...I might as well at least barter.  I like it...but won't be heartbroken if I leave without it...probably a good item to practice bargaining with.

I ask how much in Chinese.  She says...oh well originally 2700 RMB but special price for you because you speak Chinese 1850 RMB.  I laugh.  Deal!  No just kidding.  1800 RMB...I am so taken aback by this outlandish price...something like $290.  I laugh.  I know I can practice my bartering here.  I draw it out...I complain in Chinese how it is 'too expensive'.  I hemm and haw...oh so expensive...oh too much.  She goes on and on about quality blah blah blah...finally o.k. special price 1500.  This is ridiculous I'm ready to leave...she pulls me back...you name the price...how much you want to spend.  I need to joke with my price because she joked with her price.  10 RMB.  She laughs...o.k. o.k. she starts coming down a little.  The process goes on and on and on and on.

And on and on and on and on.  I go up slowly and she is coming down...but still way too much.  Eventually we both know I'm going to buy.  But...for how much...after about half an hour we reach a decision 330 RMB.  That is actually a little more than I probably would have wanted to pay...it is maybe $50.  But...maybe it was worth it...it took FOREVER to get the price down that far and she didn't want to do it....and in the end she shook my hand and said you are a great barterer my friend.  (maybe she is just joking because she got lots of money).  But still I think it was good...my friends who barter a lot seem to think it was insane to get them to go down more than 50%...so I'm happy.

Anyways...this gave me confidence.  Now I'm in the game.  What else do I want??  I've made several laps where I've had my eye on this certain pair of mittens.  They are Ugg mittens...black...and look super warm.  Beijing is FREEZING in the winter and I need a good pair of gloves.  Finally I go in.  Duo Show Jian?  250 RMB.  OMG!!!  Are you serious.  This time I'm in it to win it.  I barter hard and fast...40 RMB nope he's not going to do it...I leave...he comes running after and says 'give me your money...don't let anybody see'.  O.k.  Now I really know I've gotten a good deal.  Excited about this success I decide to move on for a second scarf for my sister.  I've heard that with GREAT bartering you can get it to 35...maybe 25 if you are Chinese.  That's my goal...35 RMB.

What do you think?  Is the one on the left worth twice as much?

I find a shop and the lady drags me in.  I tell her I'm looking for my sister and I need a scarf that is bright and colorful.  She brings me a silk scarf that is yellow and orange and super bright.  'Oh everyone loves this...traditional Chinese scarf.'  No that is way too bright...my sister won't like it.  So she says...I know just what she wants and brings me a black scarf.  Umm...no...this is way to dull...let me look around.  At this...the lady loses it.  NO!  YOU LEAVE!  You don't know what you want!  You stupid foreigner!  You not going to buy because you don't know what you want!  Stupid white man!

O.k. the 'stupid white man' crack struck a chord.  I'm not saying I should be proud of what I did next...but it happened.  I tell her that no I am going to buy a scarf for my sister...today...right now!  And that I'm going to pay full price...at the store right next door!  She screams something in Chinese and I'm off.  The next store lets me look around (something the other sales lady was not willing to let me do) and I find a scarf I think Mary will like.  I ask how much and again they start at 210.  This time I hold firm to my bartering and don't budge...keeping 35 as my goal.  Eventually the lady cracks...'you crazy...you want to pay only amount that is enough for a small child ice cream'.  I tell her she needs to find a new place to buy her children ice cream...and she laughs and lowers the price a bit.  I hold firm and eventually...finally...get the scarf for 30 RMB!  YES!!!!!!!! Now that was a great deal.  But I'm not done...oh no.

I take my new scarf back to the shop with the mean sales lady.  She's not there...I ask for her and they go to the back and find her.  She comes out and I show her the scarf.  I say 'Look!  I just purchased this...it is beautiful...and I see you have the exact same one!  I paid full price 210 RMB!'  The sales lady gets all red and is about to lose it...she cannot believe she kicked me out and I overpaid for a scarf she had.  You can see the anger rising.  She screams a high pitched squeal and then starts saying something to herself in Chinese and then says 'Oh that scarf is SOOO Ugly! Your sister must have UGLY face to want to wear such an ugly scarf!!'  I laughed and said goodbye, Merry Christmas and she shrieked and went into the back room seriously miffed that she missed such a sale.

Nothing could top that experience so I was soon on my way out the door to the subway and back home.  First trip to the Silk Market...a raging success!
Zaijian,
(Learn Chinese:  Jiada-FAKE!! Very helpful in bartering)
Gary