Bargaining(讨价还价) is the rule in Beijing. At least, it is so in most markets and back-street clothes shops. Bargaining is an art and if you are unfamiliar(不熟悉)with it, we’d like to offer you some advice. The tips here are often used in Beijing but may help you at any place in the world where bargaining is happening. Do not say how much you want to pay for an item unless it’s near the end of the bargaining. Always try and drop the seller’s offering price as much as possible before opening your mouth with a price. Do throw out really low prices like 10 RMB with a big smile. Do keep smiling from the beginning to the end. The seller usually continues bargaining with a happy smiling face. Getting angry hardly gets you the price you want. Keep in mind the price offered by the seller at the beginning is usually at least 40% over the reasonable price. It can be up to 500% over. For example, a coat sells at 100 RMB, you can try to bargain to the price of 50 RMB or even 40 RMB. Do have an idea of what the item costs. You can ask your friends, people around you for help.
|