PhD teacher
- 2016-06-27
Okay mate, you're not an old China hand.I bought tomatoes a few days ago. The price was 3 RMB/KG
Ask your wife about wholesale markets. You can buy there at lower prices than supermarkets, especially if you buy in bulk.
Can't do that in Blighty.
But in Blighty shopkeepers can use their cash and carry cards to buy all kinds of products at prices at around 30% of supermarket prices.
Another thing I'd suggest is that you don't mention your illegal teaching arrangements on this board in the future, for your own sake.
There are both blabbermouths and supersnouts, as well as Chinese government information gatherers, all of whom cannot be trusted, and could conceivably drop you in it.
Thanks for the advice again.
Former FT in China
- 2016-06-27
Okay mate, you're not an old China hand.
I bought tomatoes a few days ago. The price was 3 RMB/KG
Ask your wife about wholesale markets. You can buy there at lower prices than supermarkets, especially if you buy in bulk.
Can't do that in Blighty.
But in Blighty shopkeepers can use their cash and carry cards to buy all kinds of products at prices at around 30% of supermarket prices.
Another thing I'd suggest is that you don't mention your illegal teaching arrangements on this board in the future, for your own sake.
There are both blabbermouths and supersnouts, as well as Chinese government information gatherers, all of whom cannot be trusted, and could conceivably drop you in it.
PhD teacher
- 2016-06-27
And I can smoke in a restaurant without dirty looks from other patrons!
Dirty looks would be the least of your concerns in Blighty, you'd be hung, drawn and quartered as soon as you lit up. You are quite right of course, you should have the freedom to smoke a fag if you want to. There's been a lot more air-born diseases on the London tube I understand since they banned smoking. Shitty little viruses couldn't cope with the smoke but now they have carte-Blanche. Fresh Air can kill.
Odd Bob Job
- 2016-06-27
I have only been here a month so perhsps ivhudge too quickky
Former FT in China
- 2016-06-27
Seems to me that most things in China are not any cheaper than in UK- including provisions like eggs which cost 80p for 6 in Aldi and as much if not more in China.
I beg to differ.
I bought eggs the other day. Probably the battery variety - 500 grams for 3.90 RMB. Small eggs would equate to 8 or 9. Fags and beer, as well as Chinese 'white' liqour are very cheap compared to shitty Blighty. I bought 30 X 9 packs of Snow beer for 1.7 RMB per 580 ml 9 degrees P bottle, and a bag of new potatoes weighing 40 kg for 3 RMB/KG. Mainly big, all washed potatoes, packed individually in netted foam. Complete hearts, unlike big Ayrshire whites with holes in the middle. The fags I smoke are 'Huang Shan' brand, 200 = 10 packs for 53 RMB. Single packs sell at 5.5 RMB. And I can smoke in a restaurant without dirty looks from other patrons!
Stop misleading posters re the cost of living here.
Odd Bob Job
- 2016-06-27
Since ALL crap pretend "schools" aka crappy training centres
It could be that the school I did a few lessons for last week is also of the aka crappy variety. But they didn't pay me in pretend money so that makes them okay?
Off to big city again today to get passport from PSB and hand it to the estate agent who will get it 'legalised 'for 300 yuan. Seems to me that most things in China are not any cheaper than in UK- including provisions like eggs which cost 80p for 6 in Aldi and as much if not more in China. Flats are much cheaper though and mine is not quite old enough to get knocked down yet at 6 years old. Building don't last long in China.