"When you buy in markets you always need to bargain", was one of the first things I learned in Shanghai. It might sound funny to Shanghainese, but I don't know how to bargain.

I habitually buy things with fixed prices and without the stress of calculating what might be the "last price". Furthermore I need time to think about the product, its condition and the way I could use it. And I never buy in the first store.

But in Shanghai's markets every seller you pass, ask you to look at her/his amazing products. They shower you with offers and sometimes pull you to their stalls. I always feel pressured and leave as fast as possible.

When I stumble on a nice shirt or bag and ask the price, it is to obtain an idea of what it will cost. However, for the seller this is just the beginning of the buying process. They tell you a price and expect you to bargain.

That is the right time to leave, otherwise you will go home with products you might never want to buy. You might get angry with yourself and swear not to buy in such a useless way again. In the end the sellers lose prospective buyers and we lose the pleasure of shopping.

I would advise the sellers not to press so hard to sell their products. I would buy more often if I had time to think about the purchase. I would also prefer to see the first price on the items and if I decided not do buy I would like the opportunity to leave.

It happened to me that I bargained for practice and ended up with a price I never wanted to pay. So I left the astonished merchant behind and continued on through the market. It seemed that the seller expected me to buy, so he looked for me in the crowd and called out a still lower price.

I do not have a feeling for bargaining. I never know what price I should start with. Is it so low they will laugh at me? Is it so high that they will secretly smile? Somebody told me I should not pay more than the half the starting price. But I know people who have bought products for a quarter of the initial offer. I always leave the market with the feeling I paid too much.

Well, I know something now about differences in buying behaviour. Maybe I can sometime learn how to bargain as well. But I do not think I will ever enjoy this way of buying things.

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