Passion 1 - EON and Silk

My friend EON is a master of her trade. She is a manager for inbound operations at one of the leading travel agencies in the Philippines. If you need to know anything about local travel EON will answer you with her personal experiences. You may contact her through her e-mail at en7ph@yahoo.com

She recently took a trip to Beijing, wait that's not local, but here she is with her survival tips to shopping at the Silk Market.

SURVIVAL TIPS TO SHOPPING AT THE SILK MARKET

For those wondering what the Silk Marketi is... it's a building in Beijing where you can buy almost anything under one roof. To some it's a shoppers haven and to others a combination of shopping paradise and a war zone.

My first time at the Silk Market did not leave me with a good impression. Yes, I was able to buy the things that I wanted but that was the first time I have experienced being "mauled" while shopping. OK... the description might be a little too exaggerated BUT there were bruises on my arms the day after. That should give you an idea on what to expect after shopping there.

On my second visit to the Silk Market (which was a year after), a friend gave me advise that made me think that all this haggling can actually be "fun". So my thought when I went there this time was to try to get some good bargains again and just think of this exercise as another fun adventure in China.

The second time worked like a charm... I was able to get the things that I wanted which was not really much but also had fun in the process. Believe me... the bruises and nail marks were there after the exercise but not as horrific as the experiences I was told by some of my traveling companions.

Rules to follow:
1. Do not take things personally. Remember to think of this as a game... a numbers game. The number being the price that you want and the price that the vendor will settle for.

2. It is preferred to shop in the morning because you will be the first sale of the day. For the Chinese, there is a superstition that the first sale of the day will dictate how good or bad a sale they will have for that day. So it is a bigger possibility for you to get good prices or even the price you want no matter how preposterous it may sound to the vendor.

3. Always ask them to give the price first. If they don't, do not bother. There are a lot of stores you can go to.

4. Your first bargain offer should be at least 50-60% off the price that the vendor tells you. YES, they will rant and rave but they will start bargaining from there. If the ranting and raving goes to name calling... LEAVE THEM! You don't need the aggravation or the stress.

5. And the exciting part... if they start touching you so that you will not be able to leave their stall... TOUCH BACK!!! Men, this would be a rule you will love since most of the vendors are women... for the Ladies... DON'T BE SHY... it is definitely NOT the time to do so... First chance you get after the touching part.... RUN!!!

If you follow these simple rules to shopping, your experience at the Silk Market will definitely be a more pleasant and less stressful one OR you will definitely get to add the Chinese Jail to your itinerary.

Have fun shopping!

Hmmm.... except for the touching, name-calling, bruises and nailmarks, the same rules apply when shopping at the Greenhills Tiangge.