Regardless of where you end up in China, you will eventually have to do some kind of shopping. This can be a little intimidating for those of you who are not accustomed to shopping and haggling in open-air or street markets. Whether that shopping be for groceries, furniture, clothes, dishes, or other random items that you might require there are several options available to you. To assist with your general shopping needs in China here are a few helpful hints:
Food:
Supermarkets: Most major cities in China have supermarkets that have both fresh and preserved foods. However, I would only recommend them for the forzen or preserved foods as fresh fruits and vegetables as well as meat tend to be rather expensive. If you live in Shanghai, Wenzhou, Guangzhou, Hangzhou or Beijing (and other large cities) you will have access to Walmart, Carrefour, Century Mart and a few other local supermarkets.
Corner stores: You will find many small shops carrying basic items like water, oil, snacks and toilet paper on every street in every city and town in China.
Street markets: Most neighborhoods in China will have an open air market for fruits, vegetables, beef, poultry, fish, and pork within easy walking distance. Some of them will also carry dried or preserved items like dried mushrooms, noodles, tofu, or dried or preserved vegetables and meat. I highly recommend getting your food from these markets. While they look dirtier, they are much cheaper and you know that the boards used for chopping meat are not ever used for cutting fruit or vegetables.
Furniture:
Supermarkets: Supermarkets like Walmart (formerly Trustmart in China) will carry some furniture items for relatively cheap prices. It can be worth checking them out if you need a bookshelf, chair, or table for your place. However for larger furniture items like beds you will have to go to the specialty stores.
Specialty stores: These are often the most expensive route to take. I would first ask your Chinese coworkers where they find items like sofas or beds before going out to purchase one from a specialty shop. They may know of a store that sells it cheaper.
Commodities and street markets: There are many cities with at least one commodities market where small furniture items can be haggled for and purchased for relatively cheap. I would check these out if you need a water cooler, table or other small items for your living room. Remember that most street market stall operators expect you to haggle. You shouldn't pay the initial price quoted. Instead, haggle with the operator until you come to a price you both agree on.
Household Goods:
2 yuan shops: These can be found throughout most towns in China. They are shops that sell all kinds of items for 2 yuan: roughly the Chinese equivalent to a five and dime store or (pound shop in the UK). The stock they carry will vary from month to month, but generally includes plastic utensils, cheap metal cutlery and flatware, hair brushes, towels, toys, and other random items. I recommend getting your towels, spoons, forks and knives from these stores.
Supermarkets: Again, this can be hit or miss. If you happen to come across an item on the discount rack, it can be cheaper to buy it at the supermarket than on the street, but this is a rare occurrence. If you require a heavy duty pan or cookpot, the best place to look will be the street market rather than the supermarket, but Walmart does offer VERY good prices on cleaning supplies, insecticide (a must if you live in warmer climates), bathroom supplies, and occasionally on bedding and towels.
Street/independent shops and vendors: Ask around to see if anyone at your workplace knows of a street market or shop that sells pots and pans, dishes, etc. Here in Wenzhou, you can get VERY cheap dishes and cookpots from the various mom and pop shops that supply the many restaurants in the city. The dishes will be plain grayish-white, but they will be much larger and sturdier than what you can get at the supermarkets. The cookware will likewise be more industrial, but much less likely to break. You can sometimes haggle prices at individual shops, although generally haggling is only accepted in street markets.
NOTE: Appliances like ovens, microwaves, refrigerators, etc. are usually cheaper to purchase online (used or new). See the Internet section under Other below.
Clothing:
Supermarkets and street markets: If you are lucky enough to be Chinese sized, you can get some basic items like t-shirts, underwear, and socks from any supermarket or street vendor. Keep an eye on sales and prices to determine who is cheaper in your neighborhood.
Tailors: For the rest of us who are not so lucky as to be Chinese sized, the cheapest option is to locate the nearest fabric market in your city, purchase a bolt of cloth and take it to the tailor to have your dress, pants, suit, or shirt made specifically for you. Tailors are usually rather cheap if you purchase your cloth before hand. Since you can haggle the price of cloth, your suit might actually cost less than you paid for your pants at the supermarket.
Other:
Foreign Markets: You may get a craving for something special from home. Maybe it's a special ingredient or specific brand of something that is not readily available in the Chinese markets. For these items, ask around for a foreign market. Most larger cities will have at least one foreign import market. Keep in mind however, the IMPORTED = EXPENSIVE in most cases. However, as is the case with all stores in China, everything comes with a "sell by" date (even toilet paper) so keep an eye on that Italian coffee, it will eventually be marked down for sale starting two weeks out from its "sell by" date.
Internet: One of the gifts of the modern age is that anything can be had on the Internet. The best way to go about it if you do not have a Chinese credit card (most foreigners don't) is to ask a Chinese coworker or friend to do the ordering for you and for you to pay them back. The best website available in China is http://www.taobao.com/. Taobao is where I recommend you go for any foreign items you can't get in your local import stores or for items that are exceptionally expensive like APPLIANCES (ovens, microwaves, toasters, etc.) as they will generally be much cheaper on Taobao than in the supermarkets.
Note: I also use Taobao to pruchase certain food items that are difficult to find in China such as cheese (especially hard cheeses like Cheddar or Gouda) and specialty flours for baking.
Convenient Taobao Searches (sorted by price):
Cheap Jewlery
Microwaves
Water Dispensors and Accessories
Electric Ovens and Accessories
