教歪果仁讨价还价

LW: Now we take a look at some of the last markets standing in Beijing. Wu You, maybe you can enlighten us a little bit here about what exactly we’re going to be talking about. WY: Many people believe that some flea markets, or street markets, are must-see spots in Beijing for foreigners, and they are considered as an authentic Beijing cultural experience. However, due to relocation and refit reasons, Beijing’s markets are fast vanishing. NL: They are certainly an institution, as you said, and very much something that you go to visit in Beijing and one of the experiences of haggling with the sellers there. LW: One of the reasons I think they’re starting to close down, as well, is that China’s becoming more developed. That’s the way progress works! Foreigners practice their Chinese, they go bargain for very menial things, they go and argue for about an hour with someone over a portable charger. It has its value, and when it does get changed, what happens is the prices are raised for a lot of the vendors, and that obviously gets passed along to the consumers. You see a lot of these signs now that say “No Negotiation” and you lose that bargaining experience. Wu You, give us some tips on how to strike a good deal. WY: Sure. First of all, don’t get frazzled. Remember it’s all a game. LW: Don’t get frazzled. No panicking and running away. WY: Don’t start crying when they’re shouting at you! Remember, this is a bargaining process. LW: What’s your secret technique, though? WY: Never reveal how much you like the item. LW: Yeah, that’s a big one. Often look for defects that aren’t there. Okay, Nick. We’re not done with Wu You yet. But Nick, do you have some of your own tips, as well? NL: Well actually, I have a question. LW: Oh wow, even better! NL: Is this something that happens to Chinese people, where the vendor doesn’t actually want to speak to you and say prices, and instead whips out their little calculator and is typing in numbers to show you? Or is this just because I’m foreign? WY: They simply want to negotiate with you about the prices much quicker. NL: But they won’t say the number, they will just type it in. WY: If you don’t understand their English, it is much better for you to directly see the number. And it’s the fastest way! LW: I thought it was kind of like a modesty thing, you don’t want to actually say how exorbitant the price is so you just kind of show it to the person. WY: When they are typing it on their calculator, they don’t want the next vendor to hear it, so they don’t say it out loud. LW: Wu You, you want to be low, so that you can bargain to what you actually want to get to, but you don’t want to be too low? WY: That’s an insult. LW: It insults the person, and then the whole thing is pointless to begin with. So what exactly, in terms of your opening bid, what are you trying to do? WY: Usually they are selling the same or almost the same item in the same street so actually I will ask maybe three of them, so in that case I can compare the prices, and I will tell the first one, so the lowest price that I asked in the streets is like ten kuai, and then for you, probably nine kuai or ten kuai. LW: Okay. WY: So is that okay? And then he will say “No, not okay” and then I will fake walk away. LW: Okay, let’s talk about that, because that is by far the most powerful weapon in your army if you’re trying to strike a good deal, it’s the fake walk away. WY: But remember, walk slowly! LW: You don’t want to go out there and just run away! WY: I failed once! LW: Have you done that? What happened? WY: I walked too fast! And then I was waiting for him to call me back, and he gave up calling me back, it was too late. LW: Oh dear, Wu You, you do have to have a good walking pace. You want to be brisk enough that they know you’re serious, but not too slow. Yeah, but if you walk too slow he’s going to think you’re an idiot. WY: Giving them some time to reflect, to think! You know, it’s respect, mutual respect. LW: If all of those markets start closing down, that’s the experience that you’re going to be losing. I don’t think it’s something that will go away overnight, but maybe eventually, in a couple of years … WY: It’s more like an authentic Beijing cultural experience. LW: Yeah, so take some of those tips from Wu You, you know, give a good opening bid, walk away but not too quickly, all of that, and keep in mind that it’s just a game.