Nearly everyone hated commissioned shopping. We have all paid several thousand dollars and nearly used all the annual vacation days for this China trip. I don’t think it is fair if those tour operators keep sending us to the commissioned shopping stores for hours each day throughout our journey. What’s even worse, all the shopping activities are hidden in the itinerary to fool the travelers. Have you realized that you will have to spend at least one hour doing shopping by “visiting a Cloisonné factory and learn how to make them”?
Please get your itinerary on your hand and let me go through it with you. If you find the following activities on your itinerary, do expect to spend 5-10 minutes watching them how to make those souvenirs and then stay there for at least one hour shopping from the most expensive collections to the reasonable ones.
1. Cloisonné factory in Beijing
2. Pearl market en route to Temple of Heaven or Summer Palace in Beijing
3. Jade factory in Xian
4. Carpet factory in Shanghai
5. Silk factory in either Shanghai or Suzhou
6. ……endless list
You think that’s all? No. You may find more along your journey. For example, many tour operators would like to lead you visit a Friendship restaurant for lunch on your way to the Great Wall. Let me tell you that the restaurant is no good and the food session only covers an area of about one tenth of the whole 'restaurant'? After the lunch, you will have to spend one hour shopping in it! They will not serve you good food because they want you to shop!
But why did I say that commissioned shopping is a double-edged sword, because you will find really knowledgeable and wonderful guides in those grouped journeys. I know dozens of guides working for Pacific Delight Tours and they are very impressive and will not make you feel bored throughout the journey. On the contrary, WildChina pays their guides for their services. I don’t say that they can’t employ as good guides as those working for Pacific Delight Tours, but considering the Pacific Delight's guides can easily get over RMB20,000 per month by shopping commission, why do they choose to work for those who commit never doing commissioned shopping? FYI, the annual income for a citizen in Beijing is about RMB60,000.
You will also have an escort or a national guide with you if you join a group journey. The national guide will take care of you throughout your journey. They may know what you need and like during the first few days and make you very comfortable throughout the long journey. On the contrary, by joining the customized, or private journey, although you will enjoy more flexibility, you have to deal with differently local guides and tell them your preferences over and over again once you arrive at the new destination.
Wanna know how to tip the guides and how much they earn from the commissioned shopping stores? Please read my next post: The decent job of Chinese guides and how to tip them.
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