Gina带美国老板Jason去购物,Jason让Gina教他砍价。

Jason: What about walking away? Some friends back home told me if I don’t like the price, just walk away and the vendor will run out and give me their best price.

G: (Chuckle) Oh…the vendors know that tactic as well! The shopkeeper will only chase you if they are 99.9 percent sure you’ll buy something. They have a knack of knowing who is serious and who isn’t.

J: So, what’s our first purchase of the day going to be?

Jason问,如果觉得卖主是在宰自己,转身就走这招管不管用。Gina说, 这种策略卖主早就知道,tactic is spelled t-a-c-t-i-c, tactic, 是策略的意思,卖主只有在觉得你99.9%会在他那买东西的情况下才会追出来,而且他们一眼就能看出谁是真心要买,knack is spelled k-n-a-c-k, knack, have a knack of doing something, 是十分擅长做某事的意思。他们今天先要去买什么呢?

G: I think we should start with some silk items. First, I’ll make sure it’s the genuine article and not a fake. Then we’ll start bargaining.

J: Can I pay with a credit card?

G: In an established store, sure. But when we go into the area with lots of little stalls, they generally only take cash. Also when they see cash in your hand…prices do come down a bit more.

Gina建议去买丝绸制品,她要先确认产品是真货,不是fake,假货,然后开始砍价。Gina还说,在established store正规的大商店里,Jason,可以用信用卡付费,pay with a credit card, 但在小店里,就要用现金了,而且卖方看到你手里拿着现金,the prices do come down a bit more,价格能降得更低些。

J: We have an expression in English: A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

G: Oh…I think I get it. That means it’s better to have something tangible, even if it’s not as exciting as other possibilities.

J: That’s right. You know something, Gina? I think I like China’s way of doing business. It’s a little wild, but it’s a challenge and much more interesting than shopping back home.

G: Ah…there’s the store. Now let’s get down to business.

英语里有种说法叫a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush,一鸟在手胜过两鸟在林,意思是现在已经有的,要比追求更多而失去一切强。

Jason说,他觉得中国人讨价还价的购物方式比明码标价更有意思,更具挑战性。正说着,商店到了,Gina说,let’s get down to business. 开始了,意思是咱们开始杀价吧。