Chapter 31 Bargain Shopping

David：And not all people like to bargain.

You：Yes, for some people if the price is right and they are satisfied with the quality, they may not feel like bargaining and just buy it. But when the price is too high, people might feel like they should bargain.

David：I noticed bargaining is popular with some street vendors like those on the Silk Street. I learned to bargain there. In fact, some foreigners feel uncomfortable to bargain, but I overcame this. Sometimes after I have bargained down the price on something, the shop owner would praise me for my bargaining abilities. I hear you are supposed to haggle the price down to half of the original price.

David：One third of the price?! What?

You：I guess you didn’t catch that one. Well, do you think it is difficult for foreigners to bargain with Chinese?

David：Yes. Many westerners think it is impolite to bargain. Some believe the initial price is fair and feel like bargaining would cheat the shop owner.

You：But some foreigners might regard the RMB value of the item in dollars and consider it a good deal so they don’t bargain.

David：This is more the case for foreign tourists but students and foreigners who live here are already used to the standard prices and the cost of living so they know better.