No It's Not 90 Percent Off... Three Tips for Spending Wiser in Beijing

It’s been almost three years since I first arrived in Beijing and I still don’t truly understand how the shopping here works.

Take their discounts for instance. The first time I went shopping in an outlet mall, I was so absolutely thrilled to see the sign that read 打9折 (dǎ 9 zhé), thinking it meant 90% off. Yes, I know you’re probably laughing at me right now, but where I come from, and from what I’ve experienced in other parts of the world, you put the sale price out there as 10% off, not that 90% of the price remains…

So that’s Tip 1: The smaller the number listed on the sale sign, the better!

In effect, 3折 means 70 percent off as compared to 5折 which is 50 percent off.

Even thinking about it now still confuses me. But you know what they say, practice makes perfect, so take this 11.11 sales season to practice the math!

Tip 2: Packages/Membership cards can be worth it, if you negotiate

I am a huge proponent of packages, or 套餐 tàocān as they call it here (literal translation: combo or set meal). Sometimes, they’ll offer a membership or VIP card where you place a lump sum, which will entitle your future purchases to be at a discounted rate They call this 充卡 chōng kǎ or 会员卡 huìyuán kǎ.

I know many expats, such as fellow editor Mina Yan, steer clear of these as it seems too much of a complication and commitment, but a little understanding and research here will save you a tidy sum!

Take manicures, for instance. Most of us get one done every month or even bi-weekly. The average price of a gel manicure at Alice Beauty is RMB 120, but if you top up a card with RMB 3,000 each manicure is at 85折. Quick pop quiz: How much discount is that? Answer: It’s 15% off, so each manicure is only RMB 102! RMB 18 off each month will add up to over RMB 200 in a year, and that’s just manicures. Double that for pedicures and facials and you’ll be saving up to RMB 1,000!

There's more to this story! This article was originally published on our sister site, Jingkids International.

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