On Saturday we decided to tackle an new errand - buying speakers for the home stereo. My friend, Chris C. in Ohio will appreciate that we are putting to use the hand-me-down 220V stereo system that he gave us on our departure from the U.S. Chris - why did you not give us the speakers ?!
Now back to the errand. To do this task in Peoria would require a 30 minute visit to the local Best Buy. The same task in Suzhou, China is a half day challenge. Bringing the whole family along made it even more challenging.
Our driver dropped us off on Renmin Lu in downtown Suzhou and suggested we try a nearby place called "U-Town". U-Town was an interesting store - kind of a Fry's Electronics on steroids - but it only had cell phones and computer accessories - no living room speakers. So we took to the streets and eventually found an appliance store that sold TVs and stereos on the fourth floor.
Juliana spotted a pair of speakers which fit the bill. I communicated (somehow) to a salesperson that I wanted to buy them and even got her to knock 100 RMB ($13) off of the 800 RMB ($107) price. The clerk also helped us navigate the labyrinthian process of checking out and picking up the merchandise. The final act was a three block walk, with speakers in hand, to reach the rendezvous point with the driver.
Every Saturday in China is like shopping on the day after Thanksgiving - only less orderly and more crowded !
Now back to the errand. To do this task in Peoria would require a 30 minute visit to the local Best Buy. The same task in Suzhou, China is a half day challenge. Bringing the whole family along made it even more challenging.
Our driver dropped us off on Renmin Lu in downtown Suzhou and suggested we try a nearby place called "U-Town". U-Town was an interesting store - kind of a Fry's Electronics on steroids - but it only had cell phones and computer accessories - no living room speakers. So we took to the streets and eventually found an appliance store that sold TVs and stereos on the fourth floor.
Juliana spotted a pair of speakers which fit the bill. I communicated (somehow) to a salesperson that I wanted to buy them and even got her to knock 100 RMB ($13) off of the 800 RMB ($107) price. The clerk also helped us navigate the labyrinthian process of checking out and picking up the merchandise. The final act was a three block walk, with speakers in hand, to reach the rendezvous point with the driver.
Every Saturday in China is like shopping on the day after Thanksgiving - only less orderly and more crowded !
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