Greetings fellow Steemers,
A crisp early morning greets us all as preparations for the coming feast begin in dark quiet kitchens. The turkeys are baking and pies heavily guarded from hungry mouths. We sit and relax, snacking on whatever remains of the candy hordes from just a month before and try not to fight with family members we can’t stand while wishing for a silent corner to hide in.
The moment the turkey is carved to bone, the cranberry sauce reduced to a crusty outline in a bowl, and the ritual feast is complete, a whole new holiday begins. That holiday embraces what is possibly the most revered and savage of our pastimes, shopping.
As most Americans, I love to shop, especially when I believe that I am getting a deal. Thus, Black Friday has become a phenomenon in contemporary American culture. It has swollen to such intensity that Black Friday has almost swallowed up Thanksgiving entirely. Each year the shops open a little earlier, encroach a little closer to dinner time Thanksgiving Day.
In the spirit of the holiday, Black Friday that is, I will be writing about a similar tradition from our neighbors to the far east and how you can take advantage of it too.
As an avid world traveler I have been to a lot of places and seen a lot of things.
From all the places I’ve gone, I believe China is the only country that embraces the shopping culture as strong if not stronger than America. Shopping is literally everywhere there and the deals you can cut there are insane, provided you never accept the first price given or simply cut out the haggling and shop online.
We've been sitting here thinking Mall of America was big. In Beijing alone, there are multiple malls of truly massive size.
The Chinese embrace shopping so much that you might be tempted to think every day is Black Friday in their markets.
Yuyuan Traditional Marketplace - Shanghai
And, if you only ever visit the foreigner “trap” markets like the popular Silk and Pearl Markets in Beijing, you’d be correct. However, these places are no place to find a real deal and are crowded to boot.
So, be smart; shop like a Chinese. In true Chinese fashion, shop on their equivalent of Black Friday. For those who truly embrace the phenomenon, you’re in luck because the Chinese have two. Double the days, double the savings. :3
Just when are these days? Well, the first one is November 11th or as they call it 11-11 (Shi yi – Shi yi). It is affectionately known as singles day and was created as a sort of opposite to Valentine ’s Day meant to celebrate your singlehood through shopping for yourself.
On this day, people swarm the malls and markets and online retailers as deals are aplenty. Retailers moved over $19 billion this past 11-11 and the day keeps growing.
The other big day is December 12th or 12-12. The theme here may have you thinking every month has a shopping day on the doubled number. Sadly, this is not the case. 12-12 is less significant than 11-11, but it is growing by the year.
Alright, the moment you have all been waiting for. How can you participate in the savings?
It’s simple really. As the world economy functions more and more in digital online space, our shopping options have grown exponentially.
Shops like Alibaba, TaoBao Global, Tmall, and Rose Wholesale are direct from China online markets (You will need google translate for some of them). Lucky for us across the pond, they run huge promotions on 11-11 and we can shop with them from the comfort of our own homes. So, next singles day treat yourself to a little splurge.
(Note: The images for this post were all taken off google image. I'm not sure where most of them originate to give credit. This is one of my rare posts that does not have my own images populating it. Not to worry, my photography will return soon!)
Have a great Holiday today!!