When buying things like noodles or dumplings from small
vendors you will be charged the same price as everyone else – it is written on
the wall. In fact that goes for almost all food; in restaurants, street stalls
and fast food joints all items will have a set price so you won’t need to worry
about getting ripped off. In fact even things such as vegetable markets do not
really involve haggling, the price is written on signs (if you can understand
it that is), and like anywhere else you will be charged on weight. Larger
expenses like hotel bookings, train tickets and flights are also things that
have clear prices that are not subject to change. Taxis (licensed ones at
least) all use a meter, so again the cost is non-negotiable and directly
related to the length of your journey. In fact in general daily life you will
probably not come across many situations where the price is variable and
dependent on how much you are willing to bargain.
Having said that, there are times when bargaining is a
necessary part of getting a reasonable price and these are usually fairly
obvious. Small independently-run shops and market stalls are probably the most
common arenas where the price told to you is probably not the price you should
be paying. As a foreigner it is likely that you will be quoted an initial price
higher than a Chinese person may, however if you are a willing haggler then
this is no barrier to getting a fair price. My general rule with bargaining is
that if I consider it a fair price then I’ll pay, though this does mean that I
probably pay a higher price than I should be at times. As someone who is both
uncomfortable with and poor at bargaining I am certainly in no position to be
giving advice about tactics and tricks, though I thought I would give a few
examples of times I have attempted to haggle down a price.
Buying a suit in Shanghai – Myself and a friend decided to
go to Shanghai during the National Holiday, buy suits and do a tour of the
swankiest bars we could find (we were broke after the first one). I settled on
a grey suit from a less than reputable seller. She said it would cost 2500RMB.
I said I’d pay no more than 2000RMB. She quickly agreed with a smile on her
face. I think I lost that round.
Buying headphones – Needing a new pair of headphones I
headed to Guangbutun where there is a mall full of vendors selling all manner
of electrical goods. After looking at the items on show at one store and
pretending like I had some idea of the quality of the goods I settled on a
suitably shiny pair of headphones. The owner wanted 50RMB. I offered 20RMB. The
owner maintained that it was 50RMB. I quickly assented and paid the money.
Definitely lost that round.
Buying shoes – This one was actually a friend of mine who
was searching for shoes to buy from a number of stalls. Finding the only pair
that fit him he asked the owner and was told that the price was 400RMB. We made
it clear that we only actually had 240RMB on us at that point. With a grumble
the owner agreed. We may have won that round.
