Shanghai Bargain Shopping Guide - Xiang Yang Lu by Francis Chung
Xiang Yang Lu is famous for having knockoff merchandises of world famous brands, which does not only include the extremely high-class ones aforementioned, but also mid-class brands such as Nike, Addidas, and Puma. Not only are there a variety of name brands, but also a variety of merchandise. You can find anything and everything you want in this place.
BARGAINING TIPS
Xiang Yang Lu consists of mini stores that sell similar products, and that's why you have to look around first. All the sales people speak a little English, and they are excellent at tricking into paying them 10 times more than the base price they are willing to sell u at. So first of all, you have to have the right mentality. Converting RMB into Canadian or U.S currency makes everything seem extremely cheap, but you can definitely save more if you bargain.
1. Look Around: If you see a product you like A LOT, don't buy it right away. Look around first. There are too many stores that sell the same products. Looking around allows you to get comparison between product quality and price, and also allows you to have an idea about how much this product is going to cost you.
2. Offer Low Price: Always offer a price that is at least 50% less than the asking price. The sales people usually gives an extremely high asking price simply because you are not from Shanghai and you are a tourist, which make them assume you don't know anything about how things work there. Therefore, cut down the price by at least 50%. You can offer 10% of the cost at first, slowly raise it until you feel it is the right price.
3. BECAREFUL: Do not get tricked by the sales people. They will do anything to make a sale.
Part OneThis is actually from my personal experience. I was looking at sunglasses that were on display, and they asked for 100RMB per pair, I said 20RMB. They agreed. However, I didn't find anything I like that were on display. So the sales person opened the drawers underneath, with much nicer styles and brands. The sales person said these were of better quality and were of difference classes than the ones on display. So I paid 100RMB for three pairs. After I bought them, I realized that it was only one of their techniques. I saw the exact same sunglasses as the ones I bought in other stores and when I offered 20RMB per pair, they agreed.
Part TwoAfter looking around, I found a store that offered the best price for the jewelry set I wanted, which consisted of a necklace and a bracelet. I bought two sets. The first set, I looked at very carefully because I wanted to make sure it's good quality. After telling them I wanted another set, they had to go to their storage and take out the second set. I didn't look at the second set carefully because they told me it was the exact same thing. I paid, then left. After leaving for 5min, I took out the second set out of curiosity. I take a close look, and the set had metal tags that were much smaller than the one I paid for. I got very angry and went back. They played dumb with me and said they thought I wanted a smaller set, but they will do the exchange. THIS time, I trusted them. I left the market and went home. Taking the jewelry out, I took another closer look. Guess what, I have been tricked AGAIN. This time, the tags were the right size, but the chain is MUCH shorter than the first set.
The point is, these sales people have no ethics. They will do anything and everything to sell you stuff, even if they are crap. I am pretty sure they will come up with new tricks and lies every single day, so BECAREFUL
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