Chinatown Night Market Business Mentality

Yesterday, my project partner and I went to Chinatown to take some pictures for my Digital Photography assignment. Denied decent shots by the massive crowd, we capped our lenses indignantly and called it a day. I then thought to myself: I can't go back empty-handed. Thus, I decided to do some shopping for goodies. It was the final day of the market because it was the day before Chinese New Year's Eve and stallholders were eager to clear their stock. Or so I thought.

I went up to a stall which was selling 500g of jelly candies for $1, down from $1.80 for that same quantity. They even promised to give away more according to however much was purchased. I carefully picked two of each flavour and placed them into a transparent plastic bag and proceeded to pay up. The staff then transferred all my candies into a bigger bag, and began scooping in more candy while yelling "Huat ah!" The amount quickly doubled, and tripled, and my suspicion grew.

I quickly said in Mandarin, "Let's settle on a price! How much will this cost?"

He replied, "$20!"

I was shocked. My budget was $6 - that was the amount I had in my hand. I refused, saying that I only had that much money. I had no need for 10 kilos ($20 worth) of candy, the bag had no means of holding that much candy, and their puny scale certainly could not handle that weight.

The man grabbed the 3 two-dollar notes, tossed it into the money box, and returned some candy into my little transparent bag, grumbling illogically that if I was unwilling to pay that much, I should not have taken that much. Needless to say, the cost was not calculated at the promised "$1 for 500g". The goods were never weighed. I estimate that I received about 1.5kg to 2kg of candy. The cost was nearer to the original $1.80 per 500g. 

I was upset that they had not honoured their promise on the reduced price, and disappointed that I did not get the flavours I wanted. Nonetheless, I was thankful that I had not fallen into the $20 trap.

This whole incident reflects a shift in mentality of the businessmen at Chinatown's night markets. It used to be that they would sell their goods at a loss just to clear stock. However, the new mentality is to squeeze as much cash as they can in the dying minutes of operation. The remaining goods can always be disposed of conveniently.

Customers should be wary of ruthless businessmen, who deceive us into thinking that they are genuinely selling to recoup their losses. To protect our own interest, we should firstly patronise stalls which have lower traffic. At these stalls, there is less pressure, so you can demand to read the scale and do your calculations. Next, observe how they perform dealings with other customers. If a customer whispers into the dealer's ear, it could be a threat to announce their dishonesty. Finally, be firm - firmer than I was - when offered an unfair deal. Keep your cash close to yourself - do not hand it over unless you are satisfied with the goods. These are the few ways you can avoid being shortchanged in this CNY shopping frenzy. 怎么说，这新年，“财源滚滚”应该是到您的口袋里，而不是滚出您的口袋中！



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