You want to buy a bag? Handbag? Gucci - Prada....

In honor of Black Friday, I thought I would comment on shopping here.

Anywhere I walk in Shanghai I am approached by men (and a few women) carrying plastic cards about the size of an envelope. "Lady - You want to buy a bag? Come, take a look, cheap! Gucci, Prada. Come, take a look. My shop, come over here." They point to an alleyway or other dimly lighted corner and show me pictures of their merchandise on the card. Some are aggressive, others will step aside if I shake my head. There is not a single word that means "No" in Chinese, so I am left nodding and saying, "No, no" or sometimes "Xie, xie (thank you)" as I hurry by. There are people everywhere here.

Last Thursday I went to a market at Chi Pu Lu, which one of my fellow teachers has christened "Cheap Lou's." It is five stories of endless booths that are maybe 8'x10'. The three of us were the only foreigners in sight and every single booth owner seemed to have something that we needed to buy. There were some great sweaters and coats (all in dollhouse sizes) and an endless parade of handbags, sunglasses, scarves, shoes and other things. If you show interest they will open a fake wall in the back of the shop and lead you in where the "real" merchandise is kept. I made a great purchase - a blue leather handbag that says Tod's that I can throw over my shoulder for 100 RMB (about $14). After I purchased it I realized that my normal fall coat is bright red which doesn't really go with the blue purse, but I don't care. It's a yummy bag.

Friday night I went to one of the outdoor markets with Robyn, a teacher trainer at the Wuyi school where I have been spending my weekends. The goal was to find a wallet and purse for her. We did not succeed, but the people were very nice there and I am getting much better at understanding numbers. In fact, I was talking to one of the Chinese teachers at work and she said that my numbers are very good, but they sound Taiwanese. Paul - if you're reading this, you did a good job!

On Saturday after work I went to Super Brand mall, one of the many malls in Lujiazui which is in the Pudong new area close to the school. The malls here are incredible. There are restaurants and stores that are two stories inside a single store. This store had a huge Christmas tree at the entrance and there were families taking pictures as children squirmed. My mission was to purchase some warmer clothes. In my packing list I had not included a sweatshirt and only two sweaters. Even though it was in the 60s today, within a week or two, highs should be in the 40s which merits warmer clothes.

I was nervous as I approached the mall because I wasn't sure if anything would fit. Well - I did find some clothes that fit at two stores H&M and UNIQLO. I have shopped at H&M in the States and discovered that I am an XL in China. At UNIQLO, which is a Japanese chain, the same deal. I purchased a sweatshirt and a turtleneck respectively. I haven't been an XL at home for quite some time due to the changing sizes but that is fine.

Buying clothes in another country is one way to truly feel part of the culture even if it's just a sweater or sweatshirt. I still remember purchasing my ZARA coat when I lived in Spain and how stylish I felt. I hope to feel that way before I leave Shanghai. Fashion here is something else. Very short skirts and hot pants with leggings are popular. On the subway I might see girls in heels in skinny jeans with tunic topics and multiple layers or laborers wearing their blue uniforms and heavy shoes. One day I saw a woman who was wearing flannel pajamas and two girls wearing rubber rain boots even though it wasn't raining. There is always a parade of men in suits or blazers and people in uniforms for work. The colors are much brighter here, you can buy basic black for sure but there are reds and yellows and greens and blues and pinks and grays.

This is a culture on the move. Retail therapy is practiced here, whether you are bargaining in a street market or shopping at an upscale mall. You are expected to touch and try and ask questions and learn about your purchase.

Q5 - What has been your favorite purchase in another country? Clothing, souvenirs or something else?

Please post your comments. I really enjoy hearing from you and don't forget to keep in touch.

Cheers!