Che Ching, Che Ching, Chinatown

Shopping in Chinatown deserves its very own post. `
WARNING: BUYER BEWARE. Just in general.
Nothing in Chinatown is authentic. If you buy anything with a gold finish, jewelry, purses with metal, etc. it will rub off or turn green. Bronze finish is better.
AND DO NOT BUY ANYTHING WITH TECHNOLOGY CONNECTED TO IT.
NO PLASTIC ACCEPTED, YOU MUST BRING CASH.
BEWARE OF GOING BEHIND LOCKED DOORS


DO NOT EAT AT MCDONALD'S OR ANY OTHER CHAIN STORE. Eat at one of the Chinese Restaurants (I recommend the Excellent Dumpling House (which is noted by the New York Times.) All Chinese Restaurants take cash only. If you do not want Chinese, turn right or left on Mulberry to Little Italy and eat Italian.

Now having said that, I love shopping in Chinatown. On my first trip, I was looking for two purses. I wanted a yellow and a green one. I found them, one at each of two separate shops on Canal Street. They were gorgeous and just what I wanted. The original asking price was $40 and $45. I got one down to $35 and the other down to $40. $75 for two purses is not bad. I did not realize I would need cash. (Actually, I brought only what I budgeted but funny thing, spent more),so I had to go get cash at the local Bank of America, right there on Canal Street. When I returned, the store clerk began wrapping up my purse, then noticed something was wrong. He exclaimed, "Oh wrong label!" He went to the back and returned with a silver medallion. He then commenced to unscrew the medallion, on the purse, and replace it with one which proclaimed Giovanni Versache. I looked at him as though he was crazy. Surely he mistook me for someone who cared.

So, I walked out of there with my $40 "Versache" handbag, for which I later learned, I paid $10 too much.

NEVER PAY MORE THAN $30 FOR THE HANDBAGS IN THE SHOPS LINING CANAL STREET. You can get some of the same bags at the street fairs for $20 and some on the street for $5. I have a bag I bought on the street, for which I am constantly complemented, for $5. But then, I have a talent for picking out good looking hand bags.

On my most recent visit to Chinatown, I was shopping for a handbag for my sister-in-law, who wanted a "Chinatown Designer" handbag. It was a lesson in Chinatown shopping. This time, I did stick to my budget of $30. In Chinatown, you will be accosted by men and women who will secretively whisper to you, "Want Chanel, Gucci, Coach?" I decided to see what she, an attractive young girl of Chinese descent, in this case, had to offer. I followed her as she went down Canal street and turned left on a crowded side street. She handed me over to another gentleman, also of Chinese descent, in a shop, on this side street. He directed me to follow him. Now, I am not stupid, I would not have followed him had there not been several other tourist, including a substantial looking tourist gentleman included in this expedition. We went through, what I can only described, as a very obvious secret door (made from the same cheap white panels as the walls but with no doorknob.) I think we went through another door which the Chinese gentleman locked behind him. We then passed through two additional rooms until we finally arrived at our destination. This 10' X 10'room was lined with bags which were designated as, if not designed by, Chanel, Coach, Gucci and probably some other designer, but I was too flabbergasted too notice. These bags actually have the designer's names as part of the fabric or construction of the bag. I am not a person who understands wanting to have someone elses name on my person so I was less than impressed but asked, "What do you have for $30," which was my budget. He looked at me and with a straight face said, "Oh, these designer bags>" I tried another tactic and asked him which was his least expensive bag. He pointed to one of the Coach bags and quoted a price of $40. I told him I could buy the same bag on the street for $30.(Which I could in Queens but not Manhattan) He reiterated to my visage, endowed with my "teacher face," with which I have taken in too many "My baby sister tore up my homework" lines to count, that these were designer bags. I then asked him how much for the Chanel bag, the only one I actually found attractive. He responded, "Oh, Chanel bag most expensive. I told him I only had $30 to spend. His body language screamed insult at my ignorance of the value of the counterfeit, Chanel, etc. bag business. He did not budge. There were too many tourist willing to pay $40 or more for a rip off bag. What is the world coming to? So, I followed him out and did notice as we were leaving that I had been locked in this room which did not have even an exterior door knob, with a good 25 other people. I returned to the "Pink" shop which is where I find good prices and beautiful handbags. I prepared to make my purchase when I realized that I did not have $30 cash so I headed to the Bank of America.

Now stick with me, there is a reason for this bird walking. When I tried to get cash from the ATM machine, my card did not work. I went into the bank and signed up to see a representative. The gentleman who helped me was an American of Chinese descent. He competed in the New York Marathon, so he has my utmost respect. It took a while for him to get me a good card giving us time to visit. I told him about my strange visit to the back room. He was a good twenty-five years my junior, but he looked as if I were a recalcitrant child and said, "You know they had a police raid of those places last week." I responded that I thought that was a waste of police effort, since none of the people who buy that stuff believe it is really original, and would not buy the original, since, they do not have the money. He said, "Oh its not the merchandise. Its the locked doors. What would you have done if there had been a fire? The firemen would have no way to get to you, through the locked door, and how would all those people have gotten out of that narrow exit?" I know my naive and foolish face turned beet red. When my son, Christopher, reads this, he will just shake his head and wonder how in the world I survive in this City.

I can only ascertain that if the designer name is a permanent part of the bag, it will be more expensive. I have only shopped the shops along Canal Street. Chinatown is actually so large it completely surrounds (and apparently owns) Little Italy.

I get bored with handbags after one season so these are perfect for me. With a little care, that is about how long they will last.