Monday my friend Linda and I had planned to go to pick up a Mahjong table for me where she had bought one for her when she first arrived in China. Linda has an AMAZING driver, David-his American name, who is basically her right hand in China. She admits it freely that he is her "Chinese Husband" because she relies him so much. He helps her do all her shopping and negotiates for her and does just about everything. My husband had told her that he loved her Mahjong table and wanted one someday. Well, it was my job now that I was here to find out her source so we could get one. In China, it is all about who you know to get the deals and how to get the same deal as the person you know. There are some Americans who do not grasp this concept and pay the price which is driving up prices in many things. I have already told you about the Ayi thing, which I ended up very happy in the end with what I am paying and my Ayi. Ask around, find out who's paying what and go with someone their Ayi knows if they are happy with their Ayi and the price is what you want to pay...Anyways back to the Mahjong table. I had no idea my husband even knew how to play Mahjong, but then again if he didn't it would be a shame since he is 1/4 Chinese and he should be a natural at it right? All I could think about was those REALLY late nights in the dorms in Buffalo when the Chinese Nationalist Students would cook all night and play all night in the lounges and I remember thinking, WTH??? Now I look back and think So many things you are exposed to when you are growing up and may not even realize later in life, that could have come in handy if I would have learned it then....Well, now I have played the game and it is so much fun so I asked Linda to ask David where they bought theirs so we could go and buy one.
Now the cultural training class I attended today has shed some light on the way the Chinese do things. Here is an example on relationships here:
Person A may need something that Person B has access to by knowing Person C, if Person A contacted person C, C might help but more than likely, won't because Person C does not know Person A. But if Person B calls and asks Person C for help for Person B, Person C will do it without thinking twice because Person B is asking and that is how they show they care about each other is by doing things for you even if it means helping your friends but they are not doing it to help your friends but for you. It's a pretty cool intricate way of doing things. Now in this case, David would have done it if I would have called him because we have met and he's a REALLY nice guy, he helps a lot of people who call him to have him to talk to their driver, etc. He's just a great guy...David went one step further and WENT to the place and began to negotiate on our behalf for us! There was also two other American families that wanted a table so he negotiated for three of us and was able to get the price down from 1650RMB to 1050RMB. Linda paid 800RMB when she got here but when we asked about the price and why it had gone up so much, we were told the workers are demanding more wages and because the demand for the tables had gone up, they basically were getting the bigger price. Well, HELLO? again, I was very grateful David was able to negotiate the price for us to where it was,negotiating is more than almost all the battle!
When we went to order the table, Linda and I tried a little harder to get the price down some more. But in the end we were only able to get it down another 50RMB. The sales lady said she was going to give it to us for 1000RMB since we were buying three. I was ok with the raise in price because I do know that the Chinese are starting to protest the low wages and the rich here are getting really rich off of the workers and they are finally starting to try and excert themselves because they want computers now and cell phones and many outfits instead of just one, you know like we Americans and the rich in this country. And really, it was really not that much more in American $ (I am going to be careful to stay out of this way of thinking because to to often that is the problem we Americans do, thinking it's only.....X amount of dollars so we pay it-this increasing the costs of things here but for the Chinese it's a lot of money and the regular Chinese person may have to go without because of us just paying it!) So in all and all I am a proud owner of this beautiful hardwood table(looks like Cherrywood but I am sure isn't but it is solid) only cost us $131 with four arm chairs with the table having drawers for the chips and a place for you to put your drink, it really is gorgeous and who cares that we paid 200RMB more than Linda? I guess I am ok with that... but boy was that fast? we were in and out of there in an hour and they were going to call us when the tables came in so we could come and pick it up. Mr. Yang was going to have to follow David to take care of this for me since I would be in class all day on Tuesday. David said he would explain to Mr. Yang when it was time to go. So we had decided to go to the tailor so we could have our Duvets made out of the silk I had found earlier. I needed to find some corresponding silk to border this panel I had bought that was decorated with Dragons, Phoenix birds, Flowers and regular birds on it as it would be the center of my duvet. I thought ahead too and got a second panel exactly the same so I could have matching pillow shams made in both King size and also European size so the bed would look really custom and luxurious. I had a vision in my head and was super excited to go for it! I bought this fabric when I was here in March on spring break and decided to wait to make sure I got what I wanted. Linda told me she knew of a place in don tay sure(not correct spelling but that's how it sounds when you say it so that how I am going to write it,ok?) so that is where we headed next. Linda and I went in and I was not able to find any cooresponding silk I liked and asked if we could go to the place were I bought the panels(because I had seen some there but was unsure of how much to buy, meters vs. yards and all!) so after a brief hesitation and an unsuccessful attempt to negotiate on her behalf there on something she purchased-Long story and I swore to Linda NEVER to tell but you can guess about buying an item and then having MAJOR buyers remorse when you realize....., Linda agreed and told David he was going to have to help us and come in when we got downtown to help with the Duvet ordering. I had already drawn up pictures with anticipating that I was not going to be able to communicate in words to who ever was going to make my duvet. I had the measurements in inches and Linda told me to convert to centimeters which I did before we got to Archie Square. This place is where all things can be made and sewn. Suits, lined including a shirt, pants and jacket for 300RMB, that is less than $50 for a custom suit!!! Linda had a cotton duvet made when she first got to China for 50RMB. I was not expecting the price to be that low since I had silk, much harder to work with, and also it had to be sewn into one big piece from the panel and then bordered and then the bottom of the duvet was going to be a solid piece of cotton so it would not slip all over the bed like silk does.
We finally arrive and find the fabric section of the building. I easily found the spot once we were on the right floor and pass right by the lady that I bought the panels from. She recognized me and smiled at me and I smiled back but walked right by her and she watched me go two spaces away from her. You see, after I bought the panels, we walked a few spaces down and this other lady showed me the same panels and told me here price which was lower off the bat! We did buy some silk from her then but not a lot, my friends bought for dresses and I was too pissed about the panels but I told her that I would come back to her for the border silk because she gave me a good price when I asked. The other lady I bought from before I came to this lady, I had to haggle with for quite some time(and I was with other Americans who just paid, ya know what I mean?) so when this lady told me her price and it was lower than what I paid, I knew I would come back to here for future purchases. So here I was almost four months later and she recognized me as I brought out the panel to start matching coordinating fabric too. She smiled at me and I smiled back and winked at her. Linda was wanting the same panels as me so she got out what she had. Linda purchased two different panels so she could have a duvet made for her and her daughter. BEAUTIFUL panels and she paid even less than I did and what the price she had quoted me when I was there in March. 60RMB less! I was happy Linda was getting a good deal even though I paid more because I had gotten a good deal on the table because of Linda's past purchase and her drivers negotiating skill so it was all good. We also purchased some additional silk and asked the lady if she knew someone who would sew the duvets, she didn't but if she did we would have used them because she was far and honest with us. So, we then began to look for fabric for the underneath....well, after looking, finding somehthing, and then being floored at the prices, we decided we needed a different strategy. We headed for the bedding tailors. I had almost had it and did not know if I would make it through another 15 minutes! We found that section of the building and asked the first woman we saw who had duvets dispalyed. David at this time had just about had it by now too, he does not enjoy shopping but does it to help Linda. The two of us went to work explaining what I wanted. I used my pictures, I used the tie on my shorts to show I wanted ties instead of a zipper and I used my phone, I would have used just about anything that would have helped after almost two and a half hours of dealing with fabric and measurements and trying to do it in MANADRIN!!! which I speak none except for thank you fluently... After we had explained everything and we were able to talk price. Grant it at this time, I would have paid 200 million dollars just to be done! not really but you get my point of where I was at mentally, spent! All in all, duvet was going to be155RMB and the 5 pillow shams being 25RMB each I wanted(all bordered and two with different fabric to give contrast) for labor and the plain fabric included on the back. We were done! Whooooo hooooo Linda was paying it and out the door before I could even do the math in my head and see if I wanted to try and haggle but who was I kidding, I was not in any condition to haggle at that point in time. My headache I had woke up with was back and with a vengenance! so here is the break down. Silk panels for me (180RMB ea=360RMB) for Linda (2 @ 120RMB) coordinating fabric for me 250RMB (w/extra for pillows) total cost to make the duvet and pillow shams was going to be 890RMB for me. Linda was having two duvets made with no pillows and she was paying 950RMB she was too tired to think about buying two more panels and more fabric for pillows and said she's deal with it later...so for $131.29 dollars I am getting a custom King duvet made with 100% silk and cotton backing with three Euro shams and two King size shams. Linda is getting two King size duvets for $140.14 dollars, again silk hand made. I can hardly wait the 10 days it's going to take this woman to make all of that, can you imagine, just ten days!!
Although it was a L-O-N-G process of getting all the materials, finging the right people, I know it's going to be worth it in the end. I know I could have probably bought an already made one here maybe a little cheaper but I was able to choose the pattern of the panel, choose the coordinating silks, and have this experience I will always remember when I am snuggling into my bed back in the states when we go home. When I get it, I'll post a picture and you all can tell me if it was worth it and then maybe I'll take orders!
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