Submitted by Shuchong on February 24, 2008 - 09:41.
When I travel to China (about 3 months every year, for my job) I view not bargaining as a sort of charity, in line with stimulating the local economy.
Most things bought on the street in China have "ridiculous" price tags. No one expects anybody but tourists to pay the full price, and as soon as sellers see foreign faces, they often try to jack up prices even higher. This used to anger me. I saw it as bilking people. And to some extent I still do. But I'm starting to come around. I can pay the "ridiculous" price and still get most goods cheaper than I would in the States. A few extra Yuan isn't going to hurt me, but it might do a lot of good for a vendor.
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When I travel to China
Submitted by Shuchong on February 24, 2008 - 09:41.
When I travel to China (about 3 months every year, for my job) I view not bargaining as a sort of charity, in line with stimulating the local economy.
Most things bought on the street in China have "ridiculous" price tags. No one expects anybody but tourists to pay the full price, and as soon as sellers see foreign faces, they often try to jack up prices even higher. This used to anger me. I saw it as bilking people. And to some extent I still do. But I'm starting to come around. I can pay the "ridiculous" price and still get most goods cheaper than I would in the States. A few extra Yuan isn't going to hurt me, but it might do a lot of good for a vendor.