We decided we’d like to get a nice throw rug (maybe more than one, but we wanted to start with one) for the main room. We were very open to cost and type (polyester vs wool vs silk, high knot count vs low) – we’d never been rug shopping so we weren’t quite sure what to get. We did know that good quality wool rugs in the size we were looking for are VERY expensive back home – so we were hoping to at least beat those types of prices. We assumed silk was similar in high cost.
Our driver started by taking us to the high-end furniture district to look at some rugs. We found a couple different rugs that we liked – though they were a bit smaller than we were hoping for. As we wanted to compare a few places before we bought, we didn’t even attempt to negotiate. Though, we did ask their starting price – and as is customary EVERYWHERE in China the salesman asked us to give him our price as we were walking away…
My favorite question, “how much is your price?” It’s a musical question here that allows the dickering to begin. But we weren’t interesting in such negotiations just yet – however it was VERY good to know that the marked price was next-to-meaningless.
Since our favorite carpet design at the first shop was actually polyester, not wool, our driver suggested we go to the “cheap” market if high quality wasn’t necessarily our number one priority. What we didn’t know was that the “cheap” market was actually the world-famous Shanghai Fabric Market. This is a full-city-block – maybe bigger – market on the PuXi side of Shanghai where any fabric you can imagine is available at negotiable prices, and tailors/seamstresses of world-class talent are ready to measure, and custom fit any clothing item you could ever want made at prices that would please even the most avid Wal-Mart shopper.
But, we weren’t looking for clothes today (we’ll save that for another day). Today was about a throw rug. Rug shop after rug shop of large yet similar-types of selections. Polyester, silk, wool, blends; door mats, to floor foam, to wall-to-wall sizes – you name it, it was there. Like any market negotiation, it’s important to get a ‘bottom price’ from one store and use that at another. So, normally, you find the item you want, ask the price, tell the owner it’s too expensive, get a second price, and then walk out. As you’re walking away, the owner will try to entice you with their “bottom” price. At the next store, start by offering 25-50% of the “bottom price” from the last store, and you should be able to get that price (or close to it)… This isn’t a hard and fast rule, by any means, but seems to work reasonably well.
So we started at one store, and found a rug of the right size, with a design that was close to what we wanted. We did a mini-negotiation and the guy dropped his original price a fair amount. As we walked away, he had cut the price to about half. This was for a ‘cheap’ polyester carpet, with a traditional type design. Our driver had been with us the whole time (he learned quickly that I was a haggler almost-worthy of Chinese standards) and was happy to start every negotiation for me by informing the clerk that the price was way too high, and unacceptable. He knew he didn’t even have to interpret the opening for us. As we went to some other shops, we found some wool carpets we liked that were considerably more, then a couple silk ones that were even more.
About the 8th or 10th store we browsed we came across a pair of sales agents that were relatively young, but whose English was better than most of the stores. This let me follow a little better even during the opening between our driver and the sales clerks. My numbers and colors in Mandarin have gotten good enough that I could follow, and interject, a bit during the discussions. We found a rug we liked; but before we even got into negotiating, Savannah’s diaper leaked and we needed to make an emergency change. The female clerk was kind enough to lead us to the nearest bathroom to help us out (negotiations aside, this was quite kind). After some screaming (mostly Savannah ;-)) Danielle got a dry diaper on her and we headed back to the store. (this is a pertinent side-bar in a moment)
So we started negotiating for the rug we liked. It was a 2m x 3m rug, a blend of 55%+ wool, tight knot count, good feel, and relatively thick. The clerk started at 4500 RMB (~$715USD). She (of course) noted that it’s really listed at 6300 RMB, but she likes us. Danielle and I agreed that back home, this was probably already cheaper than the rug would cost (if the quality WAS as good as they said and it seemed… the problem with the markets, you can never KNOW what the quality really is). Stone (our driver) did the customary eye roll and expression of still way too high. Our competitive shopping hadn’t found one quite this big of this quality elsewhere, but similar quality (but smaller) had started in the 6000’s at other stores, with “final” offers as we walked away in the 5000’s… I figured that we should be paying in the maybe 3000-3500RMB range for this rug, maybe as low as 2750. Our driver agreed with me, as he suggested we offer 2000, with a goal of getting it for 2800.
I mostly kept quiet while he talked. The sales person was smart though, and realized that he was just talking, and that we were actually the ones that would decide. Stone offered 2000, and she didn’t budge at first. She showed me the 4400 on her calculator (the digital calculator is the market’s universal language – transcending any language barrier!) – cleared it, and then typed 4000. 10% savings, and I hadn’t said a word as of yet. Danielle loves watching me negotiate, but hates to do it herself. She loves it more when Savannah isn’t hungry, or tired, or bored (or really with us during negotiations). I say a couple of words quietly to Danielle, turn, and then offer 2200. I was now engaged – and the game was on. The clerks (both) went on about the high quality, how it’s one of their best rugs, very good feel – if I want to pay 2250 then they’ll sell me the cheaper type on the wall (polyester) – this rug is only for serious buyers. Their customary soliloquy lasts several minutes – and ends with the calculator dropping the price now to 3800… “I give you this price because we’re friends – I took you to the toilet cause we’re friends!” Progress… Not only are we getting to a better price, but we apparently bonded over a dirty diaper. I explained that my wife would only let me spend 2250 today – and that it really is a nice carpet… She didn’t budge.
So I walked away from that carpet and looked at other things within the small shop. Stone continued to try to haggle to no avail. We needed a couple other things (bath mats, entry mats, etc.) so I asked about a couple of these that were out. Their listed prices for these were cheaper than for the same items at the Carrefour, so I stacked up what we wanted and got a total price – 100 RMB for those items in total. About this time the sales clerk grabbed me again with the calculator – down to 3600 for the big rug… The smaller cuts, repeatedly, told me her bottom line was probably closer to 3300 than it was to 2800… So we got back to it…
I increased our offer to 2500 – another oratory marvel about how that’s below their bottom, they’d lose money, I’m squeezing too much, etc. etc. etc…. I shrugged (a trait I learned from the French, especially Parisians – the “shrug’ meaning that’s really your problem not mine… a beautiful negotiation technique as well). I talked quietly again with Danielle – I told her to look very angry with me, and storm away with Savannah. So, she did just that. The sales woman looked at me and asked what happened. I explained that my wife was angry that I wanted to offer more – that I really liked the carpet. She couldn’t BELIEVE that I was willing to spend 2800RMB on that rug (and the others I’d stacked up) as there were others we could find for 2000 or less. She said that the big rug was nice, but that she couldn’t take 2800… 3400 was as low as she could go… Yahtzee - we were into the ballpark.
“That’s 600 too much – I can’t spend that. So for these others (not the big one), how about 50 RMB instead of 100…” Facing the loss of a big-rug sale, the others salesman stepped in and had a conversation in very rapid Shanghai-ese with his coworker. He grabbed the calculator and quickly typed in 3200 – “For all the rugs” he said… I took it… for $508 USD we got the very large rug, and a stack of smaller mats. And we now have the rug we wanted in our living room.
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