Step three: At this point, I will enter a store with an agreeable¹⁶ -looking vendor and the object of my desire. Now, there are two ways I usually approach the situation and it all depends on the atmosphere. The first strategy is to walk right up to the bag and point to it and ask her the price. She gives me a very high price, I look at her and furrow my brow¹⁷ . Then I take the calculator, give her my last price and walk out. She’ll be running after me and tugging¹⁸ on my clothes and asking for a more reasonable price. However, it’s essential that I stay firm and tell her I’ve given her my last price. If this vendor doesn’t succumb to my relentlessness¹⁹, another one will. They usually raise my last price by 5 Yuan but that’s fine. My second strategy is to walk around the store and casually point to other things and ask for their prices. Lastly, I point to the bag. She gives me a high price and I exasperatedly²⁰ frown and tell her it’s so expensive it’s not even worth bargaining for. She’ll pester²¹ me to give me my last price and I’ll tell her I don’t really like it. She’ll then go on convincing me that it is good quality, hand-made, and very fashionable. I give her my last price, walk out, and just hope she calls me back.

Step four: After I purchase what I want, I walk out of the store with a satisfied smile and the perfect amount of smug²² in my eyes.

Bargaining may be a battle, but I can never help but feel pity for the enemy. They go to such great measures to make a sale and their profit all depends on how they talk to the customer. All day long, they stand on the ready. They constantly call out to people, put away clothes, and clean up the mess customers like me have made while scourging through the items for sale²³.

When I say they take all measures to make a sale, I mean they take ALL measures to make a sale. I was wandering in the bag department as soon as I arrived at Hongqiao market²⁴ . I was just getting my bearings²⁵ when a girl slipped out from behind the counter and grabbed my hand. I thought I had dropped something but she began tugging at me to go look at her bag collection. I tried to pry free²⁶ but she wouldn’t let go. I was laughing up to the point when I realized that the girl would probably never let me go until I bought something from her. So I started to take a look at her bags and as soon as her eyes glanced the other way for a split second I ran as fast I could, horrified²⁷. Let’s just say that wasn’t a good start to my day of shopping.

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16. agreeable: 和藹可親的，令人愉快的。

17. furrow my brow: 皺眉頭。

18. tug: 用力拉。

19. succumb to: 屈服于；relentlessness: 堅韌不懈，百折不撓（relentless的名詞形式）。

20. exasperatedly: 惱怒地，生氣地。

21. pester: 糾纏，煩擾。

22. smug: 自命不凡。

23.他們不停地招呼顧客，整理衣服，為像我這樣將商品糟蹋成一片狼藉的顧客收拾殘局。scourge: 使遭受苦難，蹂躪。

24. Hongqiao market: 紅橋市場，位于北京市東城區(qū)天壇東路，與天壇公園僅一路之隔。經過三十年的發(fā)展，目前的紅橋市場已經成為了一個以珍珠為龍頭的國際化旅游商品市場。市場的各類產品每年都能夠吸引近百萬的外賓來此參觀購物。

25. get my bearing: 弄清自己的方位，辨明方向。

26. pry free: 擺脫。

27. a split second: 一瞬間，一剎那；horrified: 驚駭?shù)?，驚恐的。