Buy it, Mr. VanNoord, Buy it!

Haggling over prices has long been a part of Chinese commerce and culture. In fact, it's prevalent in Hong Kong too . . . well, in some of the older sections of the city, that it. I assumed that all of my students had experience watching and engaging in haggling over prices. But they weren’t. Which -if I would have thought about it a little more- makes sense. They don’t hang out at the markets like Julie and the girls and I are inclined to do if we have a free Friday night. They go to the seven story air-conditioned super malls to do the Nike Store and eat Haagan Dazs. They may be from China, but they are less experienced arguing over prices than I am.

On our last afternoon in Yanhshuo we went to the touristy, shopping section of town for a few hours before we had to catch our sleeper train back to Hong Kong. I was assigned a group of six boys to chaperone as we wandered and shopped. I knew that I wanted to buy myself a wide straw hat as a souvenir. But I wanted to buy it at the end of the afternoon so that I didn’t have to carry it all around Yangshou for four hours.

I made the mistake of actually coming to a full stop in front of the first booth I came too. I let my eyes linger a little to long on a particularly stylish hat. I liked the weave of the straw. “Eighty dollars,” the man behind the counter said in English.

“No, I’m just looking,” I responded.

“Sixty dollars,” he countered. By now the six boys in my group had gathered around. Seriously, I don’t want to buy it now. I don’t want to have to carry it around. I dismissively waved my hands and tried to extract myself from the cluster of boys blocking my escape. “Forty dollars,” the man offered.

“Awe, Mr. VanNoord, forty dollars.” “So cheap!” "I can't believe."

“No. No.”

“Twenty dollars," the man interupted.

“Mr. VanNoord! So cheap!” “Only twenty dollars!” The boys were all excited. I could sense there disbelief. I got the impression from my boys that it was as exciting as watching a sporting event. Dog-gone-it. Who am I to let down five easily-impressed boys? Sheesh.

“Fine. I’ll take it. Twenty.” I handed over twenty Chinese yuan.

My boys cheered. They gathered around as if I had just won a Picasso at auction. “I can’t believe.” “From $80 down to $20!” “Wow.”

Glad I could provide today’s entertainment for you boys.

I had to carry my new hat around Yangshou for the rest of the afternoon.

Later, when we bumped into Annika’s group, she told me I was allowed to keep the hat on one condition. I was never allowed to put it on. Way too touristy.

Agreed.

Before we left Yanshou, my boys bought bags and bags of souvenirs for themselves and their family members. Not once did they ever haggle with a shopkeeper over price.

$20 dollars is about US$2.25.

-Jack