Bargaining for Beginners
Bargaining is perhaps the most essential skill for foreigners in China, even more important than survival level Mandarin. After all, it’s possible to get around with pointing and pantomime, but if you don’t know how to bargain your wallet will empty faster than you ever thought possible.
Of course, not all shopkeepers are out to empty your wallet for you, and some quote a fair price the first time. But not all. Foreigners quickly learn to recognize that particular glint in their eyes, that small hesitation before they quote a price. ‘How long has this foreigner been here?’ the clerk is asking himself, ‘And how high can I get away with setting the price?’
It can difficult to know just how much of a ride you’re being taken for, especially if you’re new to China. In places like the Silk Market in Beijing, where foreign shoppers sometimes outnumber Chinese, you should assume that the first price you’re given is outrageous and react accordingly. (A certain amount of theatrics makes the whole process fun for both of you.)
There’s no good rule of thumb for how much you should low ball a first offer. The best advice is to never accept the first price, and to hold off on making a counter-offer as long as possible. You should respond to a first price by saying, “Oh my, that’s much too expensive,” or something similar. Try to convince the clerk to lower the price for you before you make a counter offer.
If the clerk responds to your offer by taking the item away from you or walking away, that’s a cue that you’ve really gone too low, so low that the clerk isn’t willing to even argue with you about it. Otherwise, stick to your guns and only increase your offer in small increments during the haggling. If the bargaining isn’t going your way and you’re having trouble convincing the clerk to come down to a price you’re willing to pay, simply walk away. The clerk will usually shout one or two lower numbers at your retreating back, and at that point you can turn around and flash a smile and accept.
While many foreigners are aware that they ought to bargain at places like the Silk Market, many are reluctant to do so in stores where items are marked with price tags. But the simple fact is that a price tag is almost never definitive, not even in a proper department store. In such places, there are often hidden sales and promotions of up to ten or twenty percent off. Generally, these sales aren’t advertised because they’re only for “VIP” customers, but in my personal experience, you simply have to ask the clerk if there’s any way you can have a discount, then fill out a few forms to get it.
Just as there’s no hard and fast rule for how far you should undercut a first price when you bargain, there’s no hard and fast rule about where you can bargain either. At small, family owned stores, you can generally get a discount if you’re buying quite a number of things or if you’re a regular customer whose repeat business they can count on – this is particularly true in DVD shops. You should feel free to bargain for fruit when you buy it from a cart on the sidewalk, but for some reason the prices for street-food are immovable. Unfortunately the only way to really know how much things ought to cost and when and where you can get a discount is to stick around in China and learn through experience.
