Getting what you pay for
There has been a shortage of updates recently. I have been making the most of the driver, by mostly going shopping. After dropping S off at work, he gets back to me at about 9.30am. Shanghai traffic being as it is means that it takes at least an hour to get anywhere, and obviously an hour to get back - which means my entire day seems to be filled with just travelling and shopping. Today, thankfully, is the driver's day off - a day of rest for both of us.
Although I say shopping, I really mean mostly window-shopping. I have only bought a few things, but enough to have learnt some valuable lessons. Over the last week, I have been to probably most types of shops available in Shanghai. These shops range from those I have already described, the open-fronted shelters selling dusty fruit and plastic tubes, to the Xiangyang Market (where I was hassled beyond belief - I couldn't get out fast enough in the end), to the underground Metro Market at Xujiahui (the Metro Market does not cater specifically for tourists, but nevertheless there are enough Westerners working at Xujiahui to mean that there is no novelty in seeing one - so there is still haggling, but without any hassle), to the upmarket gift shops of Xintiandi, to the designer and Trafford Centre type shops on Huaihai Road, to the Western DIY havens of Ikea and B&Q. Incidentally, my research showed that there are four B&Q's here in Shanghai - one of which is the largest B&Q in the world. It was a pity that the one I chose to visit was the most rubbish B&Q in the world. The website didn't tell me THAT. The driver actually took me to OBI first (all DIY Store logos look the same to the Chinese) - I should have stayed there. Anyway, I digress. Although I was never particularly fond of Ikea when I lived in England (in fact, I think I went once to see what I could find, and then once 5 years later to see what I could expect to find when I got to Shanghai), there is a certain pleasure to be had now in going shopping there, seeing a tin-opener such as you might see in England, know that the price that's on the ticket is the price it actually is, without any need to argue with the assistant over it, and not only will it be a bargain compared to how much it would have cost in England, but also it won't fall apart the next day.
Haggling was fun at first, a novelty, a game to play - but now I realise it's far more than that - it's the only way to ensure you don't get ripped off. I was happy with my 100RMB bag - it was a cute bag, it was exactly what I wanted, and I knew it wasn't 'real'. But 100RMB is still about six pounds, so when the handle snapped after two days, I was not impressed - I could have paid five pounds for a bag in Matalan and it would have lasted longer. In fact - I DID pay five pounds for a bag in Matalan - and it's been to China twice (three times if you count the fact that it was probably made in China in the first place) and it's STILL going strong. We bought an everyday cutlery set two weeks ago from Carrefour, I can't remember how much it was, but already the handle has come off one of the knives. J's school uniform was bought from school, in their official school uniform shop, and within two days, the buttons had come off two of her polo shirts. Things are not bargains when the quality is so poor.
However, having said all that, a 100g jar of Nescafe is about a pound here, and is considerably better quality than the Nescafe in England. I'm sure there is a moral in here somewhere, and when someone finds it, please can they let me know.
Although I say shopping, I really mean mostly window-shopping. I have only bought a few things, but enough to have learnt some valuable lessons. Over the last week, I have been to probably most types of shops available in Shanghai. These shops range from those I have already described, the open-fronted shelters selling dusty fruit and plastic tubes, to the Xiangyang Market (where I was hassled beyond belief - I couldn't get out fast enough in the end), to the underground Metro Market at Xujiahui (the Metro Market does not cater specifically for tourists, but nevertheless there are enough Westerners working at Xujiahui to mean that there is no novelty in seeing one - so there is still haggling, but without any hassle), to the upmarket gift shops of Xintiandi, to the designer and Trafford Centre type shops on Huaihai Road, to the Western DIY havens of Ikea and B&Q. Incidentally, my research showed that there are four B&Q's here in Shanghai - one of which is the largest B&Q in the world. It was a pity that the one I chose to visit was the most rubbish B&Q in the world. The website didn't tell me THAT. The driver actually took me to OBI first (all DIY Store logos look the same to the Chinese) - I should have stayed there. Anyway, I digress. Although I was never particularly fond of Ikea when I lived in England (in fact, I think I went once to see what I could find, and then once 5 years later to see what I could expect to find when I got to Shanghai), there is a certain pleasure to be had now in going shopping there, seeing a tin-opener such as you might see in England, know that the price that's on the ticket is the price it actually is, without any need to argue with the assistant over it, and not only will it be a bargain compared to how much it would have cost in England, but also it won't fall apart the next day.
Haggling was fun at first, a novelty, a game to play - but now I realise it's far more than that - it's the only way to ensure you don't get ripped off. I was happy with my 100RMB bag - it was a cute bag, it was exactly what I wanted, and I knew it wasn't 'real'. But 100RMB is still about six pounds, so when the handle snapped after two days, I was not impressed - I could have paid five pounds for a bag in Matalan and it would have lasted longer. In fact - I DID pay five pounds for a bag in Matalan - and it's been to China twice (three times if you count the fact that it was probably made in China in the first place) and it's STILL going strong. We bought an everyday cutlery set two weeks ago from Carrefour, I can't remember how much it was, but already the handle has come off one of the knives. J's school uniform was bought from school, in their official school uniform shop, and within two days, the buttons had come off two of her polo shirts. Things are not bargains when the quality is so poor.
However, having said all that, a 100g jar of Nescafe is about a pound here, and is considerably better quality than the Nescafe in England. I'm sure there is a moral in here somewhere, and when someone finds it, please can they let me know.
posted by Linda at 2:51 PM
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