老外在中国砍价之“完全手册”

　　ＤＶＤ，包，手表！我的朋友，便宜点儿卖给你！

　　对不起，你刚才称呼我为“朋友”吗？在中国的每个人都是朋友。那个在你出门去上班，坐在竹椅上，挠着脚底板的男人，也是你的朋友，而你可能根本就不认识他！你以前听过这样的故事吗？开头大概是这样：“我的哥哥的朋友的姐姐的表兄有个朋友，这个朋友的叔叔小张，能给你一张去北京的便宜机票。”虽然这种关系看上去八竿子打不着，而且不甚可靠，但在中国，这个小张，确实很有可能让你拿到便宜的机票。

　　各种各样的关系确实很有用。每个人都会把你当做朋友，只要你有一些东西能为人际网络的扩展添砖加瓦。在市场里，当有人称你朋友时，请合作吧！这会让你省下好几块人民币呢。每个人都知道在中国买东西很便宜。当我第一次来这儿时，我认为花70块钱买一副太阳镜真是太划算了，后来我知道其实用20元就能搞定。

　　在这里住了三年，并不断磨练之后，在市场中我已经发展了一批“朋友”。虽然我不知道他们的名字，也不知道他们喜欢做什么，但他们是我的“小贩朋友”。在那些受欢迎的物品上，我已经和所有主要的摊主建立了关系。当一个“传统意义”上的朋友想要买些什么时，我总是带着他们去相熟的摊主那儿，必定价廉物美。

　　你总是可以得到更便宜的东西，也让你去认识一些人，这在全世界都适用，然而有所不同的是，讨价还价在中国是一项体育运动，要求一系列技能：语言、身体姿势和动作、智商、团队合作，还有最重要的耐性。

　　你要知道想买的是什么，多去几个小摊问问都卖什么价钱。要研究货物质量的不同，询问你想买的东西能用多长时间。如果你有一个“小贩朋友网”，他们可能跟你说部分的实话，并给你一些别的或更好的选择。但仍需要保持警惕的是，千万别忘了：无论你是多少次的回头客，生意就是生意。你的“小贩朋友”肯定会稍微抬高一点价钱，这样总是让你有可以还价的空间。

　　在价格谈不拢后走开，对你买东西会大有助益。如果你完全没有时间坐下来和小贩纠缠，而且此时的状况是，你和小贩之间来回地进行着这样的对话：“再便宜点儿吧”，“不能再便宜了，您至少让我挣一包烟钱吧！”遇到这种情况，你径直走开就好。此时摊主会开始朝你的背影尖声喊出价格，而你走得越远，他口中的价格就会越来越低。如果你能说一些中文的话，当然这样帮助会更大。

　　告诉摊主，市场里有其他的选择，但我觉得你的东西不错。试着向他们微笑，开心一点，告诉他们你是在买一份礼物，而且你是学生，没有多少钱。做他们的朋友，并告诉他们，他们也是你的“朋友”。还要明确地告诉他们：217号摊的摊主愿意给你更低的价格，并免费送你一条围巾。如果你这样做了，拿到赠品简直轻而易举。准备付钱时的最后一分钟，你可以暗示这样的价钱还是太高了一点，并问“卖包的”免费送你点什么，最后你得到的也许是一个钥匙链，也许是一个你准备去买的小东西。

　　当你和一个朋友一起讨价还价时，团队合作也能发挥作用。你可以假装很随意地说，你在另外一个摊点看到了更便宜的东西，并试图劝说你的朋友去别处购买。当“卖鞋人”听到这些时，他很想留住你，也许会给你一个最低价也说不定呢。

　　但是购物者请注意，这些摊贩也会努力让你相信，其他小摊的产品质量不如他这儿的好。这时，你最好的筹码就是，直接告诉他，你买这些东西已经很长时间，非常清楚各个等级的不同。一旦“卖鞋人”知道你是专家，他也就不敢“班门弄斧”了。

　　在上海，你能交到朋友，而且你也应该交“朋友”。在这个快节奏的竞争环境中，你将需要运用这些“购物黄金法则”，这也能适用于生活的其他方面。祝你好运，我现在出门了，去看看又能淘到什么宝贝。

　　（本文作者现居上海，为电视节目主持人）By Janet W.S Suryasta-Cheung“I didnt comeallthe way to china, to kick someone in the nuts”DVD, BAG, WATCH!Myfriend i give you good price!Excuse me did you just call meyourfriend? Everyone is friends in China. That man sitting onhisbamboo chair scratching his foot every morning at 7 am, whenyouare strolling out to work. He is your friend! You just didn’tevenknow it. Have you ever heard those stories that start a littlebitlike this “ my brothers friends sisters cousin, has a friendwhoseuncle Xiao Zhang can get you cheaper tickets to Beijing”.Althoughit seems so far stretched and unrealistic, in china, itsactuallypossible that Xiao Zhang might get you on acheaperflight.Relationships and Guanxi actually do work.Everyoneconsiders you their friend, so long as you have somethingtoprovide to the extended network. In the market place, whensomeonecalls you their friend, PLAY ALONG! It will save you acouple ofkuai here and there. Everyone knows generally things arecheap tobuy here. When I first arrived here I thought paying 70RMBfor apair of sunglasses was a fantastic deal, later did I learnthat thegoing rate for a knock off is actually 20 RMB.After 3 yearsofliving and grinding it out here, I have developed my own“friends”at the market. Although I actually don’t know their names,nor do Iknow what they like to do for fun, they are my “vendorfriends”. Ihave developed a relationship with all key vendors forseveralpopular items. When a “conventional” friend needs to buysomethingI now hurry them along to my regular vendor for greatdeals.You canalways get something for cheaper, but it always helpsto knowsomeone, this can be said and applied to around the world,howeverthe difference with china is that it is a sport. Bargainingandhaggling is a sport, it requires a certain skill setincluding,language, body gestures and movement, intelligence, teamwork andmost important of all patience.Know what you want to buy,askaround to see what price others have made purchases at.Researchinto the different levels of quality available. Inquireabout howlong your product lasts for. If you have a network of“vendorfriends” they will generally be honest with you and suggestotheror better options for you. Still be on guard though, andneverforget that no matter how many times you have returned to astore,that this is still business. Your “vendor friend” will stillupmark prices a bit, so there is always room to bargain for afewmore kuai.Learn to “walk the walk and talk the talk”, walkingawayfrom an item after a few mins of haggling can work wonders foryou.If you simply don’t have time to sit and chat, and throwpunchesback and forth on how you need something cheaper and how heneedssome money to buy a pack of cigarettes at least. Just walkaway,the sales person will now start screaming prices at you thatwillgo progressively lower and lower the further you walk away.This isan easy way to judge how low the person is really willing tosellsomething before they completely loose the sale and chances ofanyincome. Of course it helps a lot more if you are able to atleastutter a few words in Chinese.Talk to your vendor, there areseveralapproaches that can be taken but I find that this one worksas acharm. Try smiling, be bubbly, tell the vendor you are buyingthisas a gift and that you’re a student with a low budget. Betheirbuddy, tell them that they are your “Friends” for a change.Makesure you tell them that the guy in booth 217 was offering youacheaper price, and was going to throw in a free scarf. Speakingofwhich, freebies are easy to negotiate for. When you havealreadysettled on a price, and last minute you have an inkling thatyoupaid a bit too much. Ask “Bag lady” to throw in something forfree,perhaps a keychain or a small item that matches what you areaboutto purchase.Team work can come into play when bargaining withafriend. You can casually talk about how you saw that itemcheaperat another store, and try and convince your friend that theycanget a better deal else where. When “Shoe guy” hears this, hewillwant to make sure that you don’t leave, and may offer you arockbottom price. But buyer beware, they will also try and convinceyouthat the other “shoe guys” products aren’t of as high a qualityashis are. Your best bet here is then to say that you purchasetheseitems all the time and know very well about Class A, B, andCproducts. Once “shoe guy” hears you are a regular shopper, hewillthen become more inclined to sell you items.In shanghai, youcanmake friends, and you should make “friends” too. It will takeyouplaces, and in this fast paced environment competitiveenvironment,you will need to apply these “golden rules of shopping”to otheraspects of your life as well. Good luck on your adventures,I’mheading out the door now, to go see what’s the latest onthestreets.

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