The Hard Sell at the Foreign Language Bookstore

I'm meeting my friend Carrie from acupuncture school and her husband at the Foreign Languages Bookstore on Fuzhou St., and we're getting vegetarian food afterwards. But, after I find her, since it's my first time there, I tell her to give me ten minutes to look at the books in the section on learning Chinese. I don't think there's anything I love looking at more in a bookstore, besides, perhaps, the children's books (in Chinese).

As I am browsing, an employee, a peppy young Chinese girl in her early twenties, gives me the hard sell for some "learn Chinese" software. After having been spoiled by the independent bookstores of the Bay Area for so long, I can't tell you how annoying this is. But, instead of getting annoyed, in some aikido-like way, I turn the experience into an opportunity to practice my Chinese, with a passion.

"You know, I think this software is for wealthy foreigners who would like to learn Chinese but don't have time to," I say. "If they really wanted to learn Chinese, they would get a real teacher and start studying their books every day for a few hours instead of buying this expensive software that they'll never use."

The young salesgirl is astute. I think she knows I am not thrilled with her sales approach. So, she tries to one-up me with an even better approach.

"You know," she tells me, "when I started working at this bookstore, my spoken English wasn't so great. But then I discovered that the best way to learn a language is to use it everyday, and that's what I do. I practice my English with foreigners every day here in the bookstore. So, really, that is the best way to improve your Chinese, to practice speaking your Chinese every day with Chinese people," she tells me in her smart-alecky tone.

"Well, that's EXACTLY what I am doing with you RIGHT NOW!" I respond. I don't know, I still might be doing aikido with her.

I don't want to keep Carrie and her husband waiting, so I say goodbye to my unexpected language exchange partner, and get ready for some fake meat and tofu on Nanjing Dong Rd.

I return to the store in a few days when I know I won't be rushed, to look at the plethora of books for Chinese study. Suddenly, my language exchange partner finds me and tries once again to sell me that software. I level with her honestly: we foreigners can't walk six steps on some streets in Shanghai (especially Huaihai Rd., where I live, and Nanjing Dong Rd., not far from the store) without fourteen Chinese people trying to sell us "watch-bag" (meaning fake LV bags and Rolexes). I explain to her that for us, coming to a bookstore is supposed to be a relaxing experience (if I could say it, I would have told her it's a place we can explore new worlds, find new authors, be inspired, and let our imaginations run free, but my Chinese isn't good enough).

She responds by telling me that some foreigners have already told her this. In fact, she tells me that some foreigners, who don't speak Chinese, tell her directly to leave them alone and stop selling shit to them!

I give her a hint and a free English lesson. I tell her that when she sees foreigners, she should just walk up to them and say, "Let me know if I can help you with anything", and then walk away! I explain to her if she can just leave them alone, she'll be able to sell a lot more books. Conversely, the more she annoys them with her hard sell, the more they won't want to come back. They'll even tell their friends not to come because the employees are selling shit to them, I tell her.

I ask her if she has a book with the 3000 characters needed to test the standardized HSK exam. Within thirty seconds, she brings me exactly the book I am looking for, for about $5 US.

That a girl. I tell her that's exactly what we want, and leave to appreciate my find.