Blount: Full-contact shopping

By RACHEL BLOUNT, Star Tribune

Last update: August 20, 2008 - 1:07 PM

With the Olympic event schedule winding down, former colleague Jay Weiner and I took an opportunity to travel outside the Olympic zone to engage in the only sport for which I have any aptitude: shopping.

We went to the Pearl Market, a haggler's paradise. The first floor has electronics, watches and general stuff. Second floor is luxury-brand knockoff central: mostly handbags and shoes. Third floor is inexpensive jewelry and Chinese handcrafts and souvenirs. Fourth floor has the good gems.

We took a quick spin through the third floor, or as quick as it got, anyway. The proprietor of every booth tries to lure you in. "Hey, lady? What do you want to buy? Come in! Look!'' And if you want to buy, you must be well-versed in the Chinese art of the deal.

They cite a price. You tell them half. They tell you they cannot possibly do that, because their items are of such fine quality that they are worth much, much more. You go back and forth until you reach agreement. If you can't, you walk away. They will chase you down and grab your arm if necessary. Once you start the process, it is impossible to stop. And it is exhausting.

We actually found a nice pearl shop where the prices and merchandise were already well-matched, so little negotiation was required. Each of us had a freshwater pearl bracelet and earrings made as we watched. The proud owner told us of the many famous Americans she had served, gesturing to a wall with photos of George Bush, Jimmy Carter and ... Jesse Ventura.

After a couple hours of full-contact shopping, we rode the Beijing subway back to the cocoon of the Olympics. The train -- like the buses and taxis -- is spotlessly clean, efficient and on time. The cars are air-conditioned and have multiple video screens; some show the route and train information, and some show entertainment (all Olympics, all the time right now). There is no advertising, no graffiti, no broken seats, no funky smells. And after our time at the market, the clamor of the subway station didn't seem so overwhelming.

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