As I'm sure you'll have been told countless times by the time you leave, dear cousin-in-law, the Chinese method of buying and selling is called bargaining. Rather than set prices, the vendor will notice your interest in an item and begin pestering (read "aggressively pestering") you for how much you're willing to pay. While this doesn't hold true for department and grocery stores in buildings (such as the local equivalent of Walmart), it is certainly the case elsewhere including all stall vendors and even many indoor shops.
It being evening by the time we had ventured to "town" with our Chinese school liaison, Sally, very few vendors were still around and even fewer had any merchandise we were interested in purchasing. However, some of us wanted to begin to make use of the DVD players in our rooms and therefore went perusing the video stores. There being little to hold the attention of the rest of us, we waited in a square outside the store for Damien and Sheila to return.
Having been briefed many, many times about the cultural difference in shopping methods before coming to China, we felt very well-rehearsed in the lessons and we expected great things from Damien since he spoke Mandarin, though for some reason I seem to remember him using American dollars rather than RMB. Perhaps because it was only our second day in country and he hadn't exchanged all his money yet.
Damien and Sheila, a fiery twenty-something year-old east coaster, went in to the store to select a series to purchase. Twice they returned to consult various group members on which series we'd all prefer, given certain options. Then again they came back out to decide, away from the shopkeeper, just how much they were willing to spend. Another return trip decided who would be the technical "owner" of the purchased DVD set and therefore who would be taking it home in five months. This transaction was now approaching thirty minutes and Sally was beginning to check her watch when Damien and Sheila finally left the store, merchandise in hand, Damien shaking his head and Sheila trying not to laugh too loudly.
"Well, how'd it go?" someone said.
Damien just shook his head. "I'm an idiot."
None of us knew each other well enough for anyone to say anything, much less what any of us may have really been thinking. So instead someone asked, "What happened?"
"I asked him first if he was ok with American dollars," Damien started. "He was, so that was good. So then, ugh," he paused to face-palm himself in disgust. "So then I asked how much he wanted for the DVD. He said '40' and I was like, ok bargaining time! I have to answer quick to show I know what I'm doing. So I hurried and said, 'No. 38!' He literally laughed in my face and said, 'Done!'"
We all tried not to laugh too much and most of us chose to avoid the painfully obvious point to which we had all been privy. Some of us.
"Didn't you only want to spend 30?" someone said.
"Shut up."
