"How Much You Wanna Pay?"

I love to barter!  I have never done so in my life but now I love it.  I had my first experience tonite in what is typically called a "Fake" market in China, where you can buy anything from a Rolox watch to a pair of Oakey sunglasses.  You are also expected to negotiate anything you buy.  I was worried it would be a negative experience but it was anything but.  I had some coaching from my buddy for the first encounter and after that I couldn't wait for a chance to do it again.  The part that surprised me and that was really cool, is that most of the shopkeepers seem to be totally invigorated by the negotiation.  They truly don't just want to sell you something, they actually want to interact with you.  I tell you it was a beautiful thing. Kind of like a mutually agreed upon dance.  It takes place in a positive spirit with the intended outcome being a sale that both parties are happy with.  Everyone has a calculator in their hands and they type in the price which they don't expect you to pay, and then when you laugh at that it's "how much you wanna pay?"  It I think it actually works!!  As my buddy explained, if they let you walk away you can be assured that your price was too low and that they were not going to make any money.  And yet they would rather make a few RMB (15 cents) than let the sale slide, so they will haggle like mad to get you up to what they need.  It was so much fun!
I bought a few things for my grandchildren, with my only regret being that I din't have more time to shop and barter.  I think I'm gonna come back  :) 

No workout today....coming home tomorrow!!

"The propensity to truck, barter and exchange one thing for another is common to all men, and to be found in no other race of animals."---Adam Smith

Love
Peter